Did your views of the civil service change during your time in office?
Not really. My expectations were high and overall I was not disappointed. In my experience of 13 years as a minister, firstly at the Treasury, the Department of Health and finally Department for Children Schools and Families, civil servants were overwhelmingly professional, effective and focused.
What challenges did you face in working with civil servants?
Most senior civil servants are experts in their field and therefore hold strong opinions about the implementation of a policy. In my time there were occasional "Yes, Minister" moments where I was aware of unsuccessful attempts to nuance a decision into one with which the civil service might feel more comfortable. A minister needs to be on top of their brief. This means awareness of the important detail but being focused on big-picture policy objectives whilst keeping a careful eye on the implementation and delivery timetable, resisting pressures to be distracted by day to day events.
If you were Cabinet Office minister, how would you change the civil service?
More effort needs to be made to motivate civil servants so that they feel they are part of a successful organisation and that their contribution is meaningful and valued. That is not straightforward in a scenario where politicians are happy to receive advice but expect to make the decision. Civil servants should spend more time on regional visits as part of policy implementation. Finally, much more needs to be done to ensure civil servants have the highest levels of knowledge of IT.
Can you tell us a story that reveals something about the civil service?
In an effort to ensure that I was always fully briefed, there were times were someone in the private office would have to stand on the weekend box in order to close and lock it! Appreciating that they were probably pushing their luck in expecting all the work to be completed, they would include encouragement by way of chocolate, although wine perhaps would have been more sensible. Civil servants, particularly private office, are always optimistic.