Ian Watmore is the chief operating officer of the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group. On 1 January he will become the Cabinet Office permanent secretary
What are you most proud of achieving in 2011?
In August this year the minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, announced efficiency savings for the last financial year of £3.75 billion. This success stems from the significant efforts right across Whitehall, in every department and at every level of central government. This is an excellent start, which will enable government to be more efficient and lead to the protection of key frontline jobs in places such as schools and hospitals.
I am equally proud of the recent Public Accounts Committee report The Efficiency and Reform Groups Role in Improving Public Sector Value for Money, which recognised that government has made a good startî, that the degree of transparency is a big improvement and that there is evidence of much better central government coordination. This has given a strong mandate for our continued work with colleagues across government in delivering efficiency and reform.
How has the shape and structure of the department changed during 2011?
The shape and structure of the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) has changed significantly during 2011. We have taken on a number of apprentices and they have just completed a level two NVQ in business administration; the work they are doing is contributing a huge amount to ERG. This year has also seen the introduction of a flexible resourcing pool to manage our staff and assignments, meaning we are able to deploy people much more quickly to priority projects.
What is the most important thing the department must achieve during 2012?
The key success factor for the ERG is that we continue to work with the rest of government to deliver real savings and use the reform agenda to help stimulate growth. Last yearís £3.75 billion saving was an excellent start, but we must be more ambitious and grind out savings continually across the spending review period as well as using procurement, transparency, social finance and new business models to drive growth.
The 1st January sees me take up an additional role as permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office. I will be considering what changes might be needed across the Cabinet Office over the coming months.
How is the civil service likely to change in 2012?
At Civil Service Live this year, Francis Maude set out the basis for the change we'll see in the civil service in 2012. He discussed the need for a smaller, flatter and more agile civil service that gives parity of esteem between policy roles and those of, for example, operational delivery or procurement. The minister also emphasised the need to build the capabilities of civil servants in areas such as commissioning, behavioural economics, ëagileí project methods and digital engagement, if we are to remain relevant to the modern government agenda. These will not be easy times for the civil service but we'll continue to draw on the dedication and ability of our staff ñ which many other countries envy.
Which historical, mythological or contemporary figure would you most like
to join for Christmas dinner?
I am just about to embark on a trip to Middle Earth, aka New Zealand for Christmas. As my family are Lord of the Rings fanatics, they'd most like us to have dinner with Frodo, Bilbo Baggins and the rest of the gang.