Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and Secretary to the Executive, Northern Ireland Executive
What are you most proud of achieving during 2011?
From a personal perspective, the highlight was the honour of being appointed as the new Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) and being given the opportunity to work with ministers on the executive and with staff across the NICS.
However, from a business perspective, it was assisting the executive to develop and agree its draft Programme for Government (PfG), draft Economic Strategy and draft Investment Strategy on 16th November. Furthermore, at the same time, the executive agreed to the rationalisation of the current 26 local councils in Northern Ireland down to 11, and the preparation of legislation to establish a single education body: the Education and Skills Authority.
The executive had been wrestling with these issues for some time and this series of decisions, as the first minister said in the assembly, "provides a clear statement of intent that we in Northern Ireland are prepared to take responsibility for our future. It is a statement that we are prepared to modernise and reform; and most importantly, it is a statement that Northern Ireland is moving forward as one community".
How has the shape and structure of the NICS changed in 2011?
One of the biggest changes in the last 18 months has been the devolution of justice and policing, and with it the creation of the new Department of Justice (DoJ). Most of its 4,000-plus staff work in service delivery roles in the DoJís five agencies: the Prison Service, the Courts and Tribunals Service, the Forensic Service, the Youth Justice Agency and the Compensation Agency. Others work in the core department on policy-related matters, as well as sponsoring and supporting armís length bodies including the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Probation Service.
The fact that the executive now has responsibility for the full range of governmental functions, with a local justice minister accountable to the assembly, is obviously a huge step forward politically. But it is also an opportunity for the NICS to deliver even more joined-up and effective services to the citizens we serve. With the DoJ now fully integrated into the wider service ñ a process which has gone remarkably smoothly - we are now much better placed to pursue cross-departmental approaches to deep-seated issues like reducing offending by drawing the expertise of the justice, health, education and other sectors to deal with the underlying causes of criminality in our society.
What is the most important thing the NICS must achieve during 2012?
It is vital that the momentum achieved through the PfG is maintained. Our challenge will be to maximise our contribution, to ensure the targets and outcomes articulated in the PfG are achieved. The scale and nature of the challenges will require a coordinated response by the public, private and voluntary sectors.
How is the civil service likely to change during 2012?
The downward pressure on public sector finance will mean further reductions in the size of the NICS and a continuation of the drive to become more efficient and to identify more creative policy solutions. We must find more cost-effective ways of engaging with citizens and providing quality services with reduced resources; this will mean greater use of digital technology and other alternative service delivery mechanisms.
Next year the executive is to consider further changes to the structures of government. This will involve examining the number of government departments in the NICS and also the size of the assembly. This could have very significant implications for the shape and size of our future government.
What historical, mythological or contemporary figure would you most like to join for Christmas dinner?
Christmas has always been a family time in our house with an emphasis on fun and laughter, so rather than an intensely serious individual, we'd opt for someone like Billy Connolly or Dara O'Briain who have a wonderful ability to see the funny side of people's normal lives.