Permanent Secretary, Home Office
What are you most proud of achieving during 2011?
It wasn't my personal achievement, but my proudest moment was probably standing in Lancaster House last month and hearing that Home Office teams had won four Civil Service Awards. Two (for innovation and diversity) were for UK Border Agency staff, which was great after a tough time for the agency in the media. It was a good way to end a year in which the Home Office has had to deal with its fair share of challenges, including the summer riots, but also had terrific achievements including passing some very tricky legislation and ground-breaking innovations like the new on-line crime maps. One thing I have discovered after a year in the job is that it will never be boring!
How has the shape and structure of the department changed during 2011?
Like all departments, we've continued to get smaller. That's not just because of the pressure on budgets, itís also because new technology (for example on visa applications) will mean that we need fewer staff to deal with demand. Weíre also trying to break down barriers between different parts of the department by building more cross-cutting programmes. The team setting up the new National Crime Agency is a good example, with experts from crime policy, counter-terrorism and immigration all involved, alongside police officers and representatives from the security agencies.
What is the most important thing the department must achieve during 2012?
A safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Home Office is the responsible department for Olympic security, working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the police. Hard security is already built into the design of the various Olympic venues, but now we need to ensure that we can guarantee the security of all the visitors and participants as they move around and between the sites and enjoy the Games' atmosphere. The Border Agency is already swinging into action on accrediting people for access, and issuing visas to participants. As Games time approaches, weíll be doing more and more testing of our systems to make sure weíve thought of every eventuality. And before you ask, I only managed to get tickets for beach volleyball!
How is the civil service likely to change during 2012?
The prime minister recently told senior civil servants that ìimplementationî must be our focus for the future. So I hope that in 2012, we'll see more civil servants developing the skills to put policy into practice and drive successful projects. Iím currently involved in setting up a new Major Projects Leadership Academy, to develop outstanding project leaders from within the civil service. We are often criticised for the projects that go wrong, but we never get the credit for the complicated things we deliver successfully. We need to be more confident about what we can do, and learn from each other.
Which historical, mythological or contemporary figure would you most like to join for Christmas dinner?
I think it would have to be someone who would make me laugh, and take my mind off the challenge of producing the perfect Christmas meal. Can I go for Morecambe and Wise?