Committees

The work of the Civil Service inquiry

Inquiry

An in-depth consideration of the relationship between Ministers and civil servants is vital as Whitehall faces the challenges of leaving the EU – says the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee in its report.

During the 2010–15 Parliament the Government introduced a programme of reform which aimed to make the Civil Service "more economic and provide faster services to the public". However, the outcome of the reforms fell short of expectations. Neither the first Civil Service Reform Plan nor its update attempted to base its proposals on any comprehensive analysis of why some things are successful and some things go wrong in government, and why the Civil Service appears unable to learn from success and failure. This was identified as a major failing in the Reform Plan by the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) in its September 2013 report, "Truth to Power: how Civil Service reform can succeed". PASC built on this work in a report on "Developing Civil Service Skills: a unified approach". PACAC launches a further wide-ranging inquiry into the effectiveness of the Civil Service.

Inquiry focus

  • The structure and organisation of the Civil Service and how appropriate this is for the Twenty-First Century
  • The attitudes and behaviours that determine the effectiveness of the Civil Service in delivering Government policy and how well the Civil Service learns from success and failure
  • The Civil Service's collective capabilities and civil servants' individual skills, including its leadership and governance

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 7 February 2017
9:45am Public
The work of the Civil Service inquiry - Oral evidence 7 February 2017
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Tuesday 24 January 2017
9:45am Public
The work of the Civil Service inquiry - Oral evidence 24 January 2017
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 22 November 2016
10:45am Public
The work of the Civil Service inquiry - Oral evidence 22 November 2016
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Tuesday 8 November 2016
9:45am Public
The work of the Civil Service inquiry - Oral evidence 8 November 2016
Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

  • Email: pacac@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 3268 (general enquiries) | 020 7219 8335 (media enquiries)
  • Address: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA