The appointment and dismissal of permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants

Constitution Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 27 Feb 2023 Closed: 9 May 2024 Parliament page
Permanent secretaries are the most senior civil servants in each government department. As accounting officers, permanent secretaries are responsible for running the department day-to-day––including by managing the budget––and report to Parliament on these matters. They also provide support to the government minister in charge of the department, who is accountable … Read more
1 Report
7 Oral sessions
3 Letters
7 Events
Activity timeline 19 events
24 Jan
2024
Report published
17 Nov
2023
Correspondence
20 Oct
2023
Report published
21 Sep
2023
Correspondence
6 Sep
2023
Correspondence
18 Jul
2023
Oral evidence
18 Jul
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 2, Palace of Westminster
7 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
7 Jun
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 2, Palace of Westminster
3 May
2023
Oral evidence
3 May
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 4, Palace of Westminster
26 Apr
2023
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 7 sessions
18 Jul 2023
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Rt Hon Jeremy Quin · Cabinet Office Simon Case · Cabinet Office
7 Jun 2023
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The Rt Hon. the Lord Maude of Horsham
3 May 2023
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The Rt Hon. the Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston · Civil Service Commission
26 Apr 2023
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The Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court GCB · HM Treasury The Lord Sedwill GCMG · Cabinet Office The Rt Hon. the Baroness Prashar CBE · Civil Service Commission
19 Apr 2023
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Dr Conor Casey · School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool Yuan Yi Zhu · Leiden University
29 Mar 2023
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Professor Dennis Grube · University of Cambridge
22 Mar 2023
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Alex Thomas · Institute for Government Jill Rutter · Institute for Government
Correspondence 3 letters
17 Nov 2023 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Lord Pickles, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), to the Constitution Committee responding to the Committee's report on Permanent secretaries: their appointment and removal (17th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 258) (15 November 2023)
Parliament page
21 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court et al to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on suggesting that the Committee carries out an inquiry into the appointment and removal of Permanent Secretaries and other senior civil servants (20 September 2022)
Parliament page
6 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, following up on the Committee evidence session with the Paymaster General and Cabinet Secretary on 18 July 2023 (30 August 2023)
Parliament page