Academic to give evidence on appointment and dismissal of permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants
Tuesday 28 March 2023
Tomorrow the House of Lords Constitution Committee will be hearing from Professor Dennis Grube, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Cambridge; Research Lead, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge, as it continues its inquiry into the appointment and dismissal of permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants.
The session will focus on the public profiles of senior civil servants and the involvement of ministers and Prime Ministers in appointment and dismissal.
Possible areas of questioning include:
- Whether there is a trend for permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants to leave their posts when a change of Prime Minister or cabinet reshuffle takes place and if this has changed over time
- The involvement of ministers and/or Prime Ministers in dismissing and recruiting permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants
- The standard process for the recruitment, redeployment and dismissal of very senior civil servants and how it works in practice
- The public prominence of civil service leaders
- The implications of the reported recruitment of Sue Gray as Chief of Staff for the Leader of the Opposition.
The session will take place on Wednesday 29 March at 10:15am and can be followed live on Parliament TV.
