Our governance
Our leaders need to set a clear overall direction for the Civil Service so that all our different organisations work as a coherent and effective whole. The Head of the Civil Service is supported in this by all his permanent secretaries through the Civil Service Governance Boards.
Civil Service Governance
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
Sir Chris Wormald KCB is the Prime Minister鈥檚 most senior policy advisor. He acts as Secretary to the Cabinet and is responsible for:听
- supporting all ministers in the running of government听
- providing professional leadership for the Civil Service
The Civil Service is made up of all government organisations (except for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office). It also includes the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government.
Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service
Catherine Little CB leads the reform and end efficiency programme for the Civil Service, working closely with permanent secretaries across government to develop plans and coordinate delivery. Cat oversees the coordination of the core Civil Service functions and also oversees a number of operational delivery services which are provided on a cross government basis. She also chairs the Operations Board, supporting the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service in performance-managing the other Permanent Secretaries. She is the Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office.
Permanent Secretaries
A permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant in a department. Each Supports the government minister at the head of the department, who is accountable to Parliament for the department鈥檚 actions and performance.
The permanent secretary is the accounting officer for their department. They are responsible for the day-to-day running of the department, including the budget.
Scottish and Welsh Permanent Secretaries
The Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government is accountable to Scottish Ministers and is the Principal Accountable Officer for the Scottish Government.听
The Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government is accountable to the First Minister of Wales and is the Principal Accounting Officer for the Welsh Government.
Heads of Department听
Heads of Department (HoDs) responsible for the strategic leadership of the Civil Service, to make sure it works as a coherent and effective whole and has the capability both now, and in the future, to respond to any challenges. Chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald KCB, it is comprised of the permanent secretaries from all Ministerial departments.听
HoDs is supported by two sub-boards: an Operations Board focused on the operational performance of the Civil Service and delivery of reform and a People Board which oversees strategic people-related issues across the Civil Service.
Members
| Name | Department |
| Sir Chris Wormald KCB (Chair) | Cabinet Office (CO) |
| Catherine Little CB | Cabinet Office (CO) |
| Gareth Davies CB | Department of Business and Trade (DBT) |
| Paul Kissack听 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) |
| Susannah Storey | Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) |
| Jeremy Pocklington CB | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) |
| Susan Acland-Hood | Department for Education (DfE) |
| Jo Shanmugalingam | Department for Transport (DfT) |
| Samantha Jones | Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) |
| Emran Mian | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) |
| Sir Peter Schofield KCB | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) |
| Sir Oliver Robbins KCMG CB | Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) |
| Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon) | Government Legal Department (GLD) |
| John-Paul Marks CB | HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) |
| James Bowler CB | HM Treasury (HMT) |
| Dame Antonia Romeo DCB | Home Office (HO) |
| Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) |
| David Williams | Ministry of Defence (MoD) |
| Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE | Ministry of Justice (MoJ) |
| Julie Harrison | Northern Ireland Office (NIO) |
| Welsh Government (WG) | |
| Scottish Government (SG) |
Operations Board听
Catherine Little CB chairs the Operations Board, which is focused on the operational performance of the Civil Service and delivery of reform.听
The Operations Board is responsible for:听
- setting the performance framework and monitoring performance and risk, ensuring alignment with any Civil Service targets and strategic priorities;听
- transformation in digital, data, and technology (including AI) in the Civil Service;听
- overseeing functional development and delivery, ensuring high standards of efficiency, effectiveness, and systemic coherence; and听
- providing strategic leadership over property and estates strategies to boost delivery across the Government鈥檚 portfolio.
Members
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Catherine Little CB (Chair) | CO |
| Jeremy Pocklington CB | DESNZ |
| Samantha Jones | DHSC |
| Emran Mian | DSIT |
| Sir Peter Schofield KCB | DWP |
| Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon) | GLD |
| Dame Antonia Romeo DCB | HO |
| Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO | MHCLG |
| Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE | MOJ |
| Julie Harrison | NIO |
| WG |
People Board
Jeremy Pocklington CB chairs the People Board, which oversees strategic people-related issues across the Civil Service.听
The People Board is responsible for:听
- overseeing implementation of the Civil Service Workforce Plan;
- the development of Civil Service-wide policies relating to terms and conditions and pay and pensions for all civil servants, including the strategy for specialist pay;听
- the assessment of short, medium and long-term capabilities gaps and the development and implementation of plans to fill them, including a strategy for learning and development;听
- implementing the Civil Service Diversity Strategy; and听
- Civil Service-wide employee relation issues.
Members
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Jeremy Pocklington CB (Chair) | DESNZ |
| Catherine Little CB | CO |
| Gareth Davies CB | DBT |
| Susannah Storey | DCMS |
| Susan Acland-Hood | DFE |
| Jo Shanmugalingam | DFT |
| Sir Oliver Robbins KCMG CB | FCDO |
| John-Paul Marks CB | HMRC |
| James Bowler CB | HMT |
| David Williams | MoD |
| SG |
Senior Leadership Committee听
The role of the Senior Leadership Committee (SLC) is to increase the capability of the Civil Service to deliver current and future priorities of Government by the effective development and continued management of talent, together with the continuous improvement of leadership in the Senior Civil Service. As part of this role, it provides advice to the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service specifically on people matters relating to the Senior Leadership Group (with priority focus on the DG workforce). Further details regarding SLC, including membership and terms of reference can be found on the Senior Leadership Committee page.
Staff Boards听
Staff Boards supporting the Operations Board and the People Board are composed of Civil Servants from the departments of the members. Staff Board members are drawn from grades below the Senior Civil Service to provide employee perspectives and views on the issues discussed. Representatives of the Staff Boards attend Board meetings to contribute and provide their views and comments as part of discussions.