EXTRA-Changes in the civil service in recent decades

Question 1

What was the British civil service likened as?

Answer 1

Rolls Royce

Question 2

Why was the British civil service likened to the Rolls Royce?

Answer 2

this is because in terms of handling policy issues and the transition from one government to another, it is efficient

Question 3

What 3 things were reasons why by the 1960’s and 1970’s the civil service needed change?

Answer 3

1) civil service elitism was much criticised
2) the service was increasingly seen as a barrier to radical change
3) Members lacked necessary qualities for running a modern state

Question 4

What were those on the left critical of in regards to the civil service elitism?

Answer 4

they were critical of the social composition of the organisation

Question 5

Why did those on the left want change because of civil service elitism?

Answer 5

as it was hoped that fundamental reform would improve the quality of personnel within the civil service and this in turn would improve the quality of advice given to ministers

Question 6

Who saw the service as having a barrier to radical change?

Answer 6

not just those on the Left but also by reform minded Conservatives of the Thatcherite variety

Question 7

Why was the civil service seen as needing change due to the lack of necessary qualities for running a modern state?

Answer 7

as the role of the government expanded in the days of the Welfare State and Managed Economy, special expertise was needed if the best possible advice was to be available to ministers however there was a feeling that civil servants were insufficiently innovative and business minded

Question 8

What report of 1968 tackled some of the issues with the civil service?

Answer 8

the Fulton Report

Question 9

What issue in particular did the Fulton Report 1968 tackle?

Answer 9

the rigidity of the structure and the need for improved recruitment and training of personnel

Question 10

In who’s premiership was the pace of reform accelerated?

Answer 10

Thatcher and Major

Question 11

In Margret Thatcher’s what did she see a large bureaucracy went hand in hand with?

Answer 11

the ‘big government’ which she so despised

Question 12

What would MT’s want of ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’ involve?

Answer 12

curbing a civil service which had become unnecessarily large

Question 13

Why was Margret Thatcher suspicious of the power and type of civil servants?

Answer 13

as she believed that they might use their permanence and expertise to develop their own views of what was needed rather then assist in carrying out the wishes of the government of the day

Question 14

What did MT believe was a poor quality of many of the civil servants?

Answer 14

that many were general all rounders rather than expert administrators

Question 15

What did MT achieve substantial cuts in?

Answer 15

the number of personnel

Question 16

Who are 2 outsiders which MT brought in to challenge the attitudes and outlook of many senior officials?

Answer 16

Sir John Hoskyns and Sir Derek Rayner

Question 17

What did Sir John Hoskyn and Sir Derek Rayner do as two outsiders brought in my MT?

Answer 17

they challenged the attitudes and outlook of many senior officials and were responsible for cost conscious policies and efficiency savings

Question 18

Who did MT appoint to run the Efficiency unit?

Answer 18

Sir Derek Ibbs

Question 19

What did Sir Derek Ibbs run?

Answer 19

the Efficiency unit

Question 20

What was Sir Derek Ibbs influential report?

Answer 20

‘Improving management in government: the next steps’

Question 21

What did Sir Derek Ibbs influential report argue for?

Answer 21

for the creation of a slimmed down, better managed civil service

Question 22

What did the Blair government establish in order to improve policy coordination and implementation?

Answer 22

the Performance and Innovation Unit in the Cabinet Office

Question 23

Specifically what was the Performance and Innovation Unit in the Cabinet Office created to do?

Answer 23

to sort out departmental disputes

Question 24

What type of government was Blair committed to?

Answer 24

‘joined up’

Question 25

Tony Blair heard departmentalitis, what is this?

Answer 25

this is the idea that civil servants tended to adopt a policy view and keep to it whichever party was in power

Question 26

IN order to break the stranglehold of traditional methods what did TB do?

Answer 26

he brought in outsiders

Question 27

What reflected TB’s fondness for changed thinking?

Answer 27

his fondness for political advisers

Question 28

By how many did TB increase the overall number of political advisers by from 38 in the Major years by the time of his departure?

Answer 28

from 38 to 80

Question 29

What do political advisors add to government?

Answer 29

they add a political dimension to the opinions gained from ciivil servants and are there to help ministers who may be too susceptible to official advice

Question 30

What did former minister Mo Mowlam say about political advisers?

Answer 30

that they give ‘strong central support and political focus’

Question 31

How long are political advisers usually appointed for?

Answer 31

they are usually appointed for the life time of an administration

Question 32

What do some civil servants feel about political advisers?

Answer 32

that they are trespassing on their domain

Question 33

What did the Neill Committee in 2000 recommend that the number of special advisers should be restricted to?

Answer 33

100

Question 34

Who recommended that the number of special advisers should be restricted to 100?

Answer 34

the Neill Committee

Question 35

What view did Neill reject about special advisers?

Answer 35

that they had broken Whitehall rules or that there has been an unhealthy ‘politicisation’ of the civil service

Question 36

What did former special adviser any tory critic MP Tyrie say about special advisers?

Answer 36

that they are effectively unelected ministers

Question 37

Why did Jo Moore resign under their work for the Transport Secretary in 2001?

Answer 37

as this followed a scandal relating to an email sent by Jo Moore on the day of 9/11 which said that it was a good day to bury news

Question 38

What have civil servants said is a useful role of the special advisers?

Answer 38

that they carry out work that could raise doubts about civli service neutrality