MEET THE NEW CABINET SECRETARY, MARK SEDWILL: “SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO TAKE ON THE ARGUMENT” AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK CARNEY THE GOVERNOR OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND ON BREXIT FROM QUACKS TO TAX RETHINKING TAX COLLECTION TO SAVE BILLIONS SCIENCE IN POLICY 10,000 PROBLEM SOLVERS AT YOUR DISPOSAL Issue 19 February 2019 Subscribe for free here: quarterly.blog.gov.uk #CSQuarterly CONTENTS AN INTERVIEW WITH SIR MARK SEDWILL Sir Mark Sedwill, National Security Adviser, Cabinet Secretary and 4 Head of the Civil Service GETTING TAX RIGHT, FOR EVERYONE Poli Stuart-Lacey, Director of Communications, HMRC 10 TRANSFORMING FRONTLINE SERVICES Lee Pope and Paul Blake, Data Policy and Governance Team, 14 THROUGH BETTER DATA SHARING Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport GETTING FULL VALUE FROM GOVERNMENT Sir Michael Barber 18 SPENDING LEADING THE WAY - TAKING THE CIVIL Amrita Devaiah, Head of Civil Service Live, Cabinet Office 24 SERVICE’S BIGGEST LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT EVENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL OVER 10,000 PROBLEM SOLVERS AT YOUR Dr Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser 26 DISPOSAL 100 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE Baiba Braže, Latvian Ambassador to the UK 30 SPOTLIGHT Civil Service Award winners 2018 36 IN CONVERSATION WITH… MARK CARNEY Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England 40 Civil Service Quarterly opens CONTACT US EDITORIAL BOARD up the Civil Service to greater [email protected] Sir Chris Wormald, Permanent Secretary, collaboration and challenge, Room 317, 70 Whitehall, Department of Health (chair) showcases excellence and invites London, SW1A 2AS discussion. If the Civil Service is to Alex Aiken, Executive Director, Government Communications be truly world-leading, it needs to Read the magazine online collaborate more, learn from experts and subscribe for free – David Halpern, Chief Executive, outside the Civil Service, listen more quarterly.blog.gov.uk Behavioural Insights Team to the public and front-line staff EDITORIAL TEAM Clare Moriarty, Permanent Secretary, and respond to new challenges with Department for Environment, Food and innovation and boldness. Adam Thorndike, Cabinet Office Rural Affairs [email protected] Any civil servant can write for Sir Richard Lambert, Chairman, Civil Service Quarterly – contact Simon Holder, Cabinet Office Board of Trustees, British Museum [email protected] [email protected] John Pullinger, National Statistician Helen Shephard, Cabinet Office and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Cover photo: ©Crown copyright [email protected] Authority Thanks to Shannen Catalan, Sam Beckett, Joint Head, Government Department of Health Economic Service Charles Roxburgh, Director General, MEDIA CONTACT Financial Services, HM Treasury Suzannah Brookner, Cabinet Office Jill Rutter, Programme Director, suzannah.brookner@cabinetoffice. Institute for Government gov.uk Philip Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Contact us at: DESIGN BY DESIGN102 Department for Exiting the European [email protected] Union, and Head of UK Governance Group, www.design102.co.uk Cabinet Office EDITORIAL With preparations for the 2019 Jeremy wrote in his joint editorial Spending Review under way, with the then Minister for the Sir Michael Barber fills in the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, background to his independent for the first CSQ in July 2013: report on the government’s “At its best, the UK Civil Service management of public money. is world class: intellectually He looks at the report’s central rigorous, creative and fair; and proposals, in particular the dedicated to serving the public. creation of a framework against But if we are to be truly world- which to assess the effectiveness leading we need to collaborate of spending in delivering more, learn more from experts outcomes. Following on from this, outside the Civil Service, listen ivil Service Quarterly (CSQ) providing value for money is the more to the public and front- Cwas the late Lord (Jeremy) subject of one of the questions line staff, and respond to new Heywood’s idea, and he chaired we put to the Governor of the challenges with innovation and the editorial board for its first Bank of England, Mark Carney, in boldness.” five issues. His argument for a a featured interview. publication to showcase the All that remains true today. It is best of Civil Service analysis Crafting a trusted legislative our intention that this and future and policy-making was simple: and regulatory framework for editions of CSQ will continue to the Civil Service had much to processing and sharing personal help the Civil Service strive to be be proud of and should not be data, to unlock its full potential world-leading in everything it does. reluctant to shout about it – but and improve frontline services, is to be even better it needed to the focus of an article from two be open to new ideas, better at DCMS data policy specialists. sharing innovations and open to The power of digital to make challenge. services more efficient and user-friendly lies behind HMRC’s CSQ was one way of achieving innovative marketing campaign these objectives, and the to encourage taxpayers to first edition exemplified the beat the deadline for online developments that Jeremy Self Assessment. Director of championed. There were articles Communications Poli Stuart- about the potential of digital to Lacey charts how the move “from transform public services; data Jeremy believed passionately tax man to tax duck” increased sharing to improve delivery; and that only a public service that compliance rates. using behavioural insights to could tap into the innovative crack problems where traditional As Dr Patrick Vallance, the talents of a truly representative policy-making had reached its government’s Chief Scientific and inclusive workforce would limit. That edition also illustrated Adviser, reminds us, science and be capable of meeting the the extraordinary range of Civil technology never stand still, and needs and aspirations of the Service work, from operational can play a vital role in effective whole nation. His commitment issues in HMRC, to the FCO’s decision-making. He challenges to realising that vision will role in the UN Arms Trade Treaty, policy-makers not to forget find lasting expression in the and the Government Office for the difference that scientists – foundation created in his name. Science’s International Disaster there are 10,000 of them across The Heywood Foundation is a Risk Reduction work. government – and scientific registered charity dedicated evidence can make in solving to supporting the causes that While CSQ’s focus was on policy policy problems of all kinds. Jeremy believed in, particularly and analysis, for Jeremy that did innovation in policy thinking and not mean concentrating only on In other articles, Latvia’s equality of opportunity for all. It Whitehall and policy-makers. The Ambassador to the UK assesses has the full support of the Civil idea was to celebrate the work the practical and symbolic Service, which he led with such of all 400,000 civil servants, importance of free and open distinction and humanity. across all professions and public institutions to her country, in all their diversity, at home fresh from celebrating the and abroad. centenary of its independence. Now in its 19th edition, CSQ Finally, and fittingly, we have an continues to reflect Jeremy’s interview with Jeremy’s successor priorities for the development of as Cabinet Secretary and Head of a technologically and culturally the Civil Service, Sir Mark Sedwill, progressive Civil Service focused whose commitment to open, on the best outcomes for citizens. brave and rigorous policy-making Sir Chris Wormald, Permanent and analysis is just as great. As Secretary, Department of Health 4 CIVIL SERVICE QUARTERLY | Issue 19 – February 2019 AN INTERVIEW WITH SIR MARK SEDWILL, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, CABINET SECRETARY AND HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE Issue 19 – February 2019 | CIVIL SERVICE QUARTERLY 5 YOU HAVE RETAINED WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE THE NATIONAL SECURITY AND LONGER-TERM ADVISER ROLE, WHILE PRIORITIES FOR THE TAKING ON THE ROLES CIVIL SERVICE? OF CABINET SECRETARY AND HEAD OF THE CIVIL First, building on ‘A Brilliant Civil WHAT EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE, AND RAISED Service’, both as a programme INSIGHT FROM YOUR SOME EYEBROWS BY and a brand. It gives us an PREVIOUS ROLES IN THE DOING SO. HOW WOULD important sense of direction. DIPLOMATIC SERVICE YOU EXPLAIN YOUR ROLE We need brilliant people, AND AS HOME OFFICE AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO brilliant technology, brilliant PERMANENT SECRETARY A CIVIL SERVANT ON THE systems. It’s a constant effort DO YOU FIND YOURSELF FRONT LINE? to upgrade those, and ensure USING NOW AS CABINET people can fulfil their potential SECRETARY? I describe myself as the Cabinet and have the tools they need. Secretary, and then set out the Two things. First, a sense shape of the job as I’m doing Second, in my first message of perspective. it. That shape has varied over to civil servants I spoke about time. I also have the roles of impact and teamwork. We must Mine is an unusual background Head of the Civil Service and stay focused on our impact on for Cabinet Secretary, having National Security Adviser. Some the lives of individual citizens spent much of my career of my predecessors, like Gus and the prosperity and security overseas in security and O’Donnell, for example, were of the country. international roles outside the Cabinet Office Permanent Westminster and Whitehall Secretary as well as Cabinet And by teamwork I don’t just world. That helps me retain Secretary and Head of the mean people working in teams a sense of balance and Service. within the Civil Service, but perspective on the really big across the whole public service issues, like the new global Most were responsible for and beyond, building effective order, technological change, national security. The formal role partnerships with the private population and climate of National Security Adviser is a and third sectors – and, of movements, as well as the relatively recent innovation.