With the end of 2017 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2018 – and tell us what they cannot do Christmas without
Jon Thompson in front of the Public Accounts Committee - one of his 27 sessions
What are you most proud of achieving in 2017?
I think it has to be that we were able to successfully agree to change the performance management system across the whole of the civil service. That has led to a huge discussion within HMRC about how we move to a more positive system. More than 27,000 HMRC colleagues have been involved in some respect or another in redesigning the process, which is already achieving better outcomes.
What was your most difficult decision in 2017?
Not really a decision, but I’ve been on an unprecedented run of select committee appearances lately, having now done 27 Public Accounts Committees, and it is not easy!
What are your department’s top priorities in the year ahead?
The biggest challenge for us is the amount of change that may be needed to exit the EU while also delivering on the transformation of our organisation, collecting taxes, providing financial support to citizens and increasing staff involvement in our future.
For you, no Christmas holiday is complete without...
Going to the cinema with all the family – it’s a Christmas tradition in our house and it has grown hugely over the years as our boys brought their friends and others. There might be over twenty of us this year and I’ll be taking my grandson for the first time!