Former Heads of Civil Service give evidence on Union
14 January 2016
The Constitution Committee hears evidence from former Heads of the Civil Service on the Union and devolution inquiry.
- Parliament TV: The Union and devolution
- Inquiry: The Union and devolution
- Select Committee on the Constitution
Witnesses
Wednesday 20 January, Committee Room 1, Palace of Westminster
At 10.30am
- Lord O'Donnell, former Head of the Civil Service
- Lord Kerslake, former Head of the Civil Service
Possible Questions
Questions the Committee may put to the witnesses include:
- Is the unified Home Civil Service a ‘constitutional fiction'? To what extent did you, as Head of the Civil Service, have oversight of the work of civil servants supporting the Welsh and Scottish Governments?
- What are the advantages of having a formally unified Civil Service?Would having a formally separate civil service in Wales and Scotland improve or hinder effective inter-governmental relations?
- Do civil servants working for devolved administrations have a responsibility to the UK Government as a whole? How should civil servants act if they perceive the aims of the two administrations are contradictory?
Further information
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