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The Permanent Secretary is the Accountable Officer of the Department, which means that he or she is answerable to Parliament for ensuring that the Department spends money granted by Parliament appropriately. Permanent Secretaries are thus frequently called for questioning by the Public Accounts Committee and Select Committees of the House Of Commons . The permanent secretary usually chairs a department's management board which consists of executive members (other civil servants in the department) and non-executive directors. Some larger departments also have a Second Permanent Secretary who acts as deputy. In the early 1970s , there was a major reorganisation of Whitehall and many smaller Ministries were amalgamated into larger Departments. Following this reorganisation, virtually all Departments had Second Permanent Secretaries. However, this is no longer the case. The Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office is secretary to the Cabinet and also the head of the Civil Service. Permanent Secretaries are usually created a Knight or Dame Commander of the Order Of The Bath at some point after their appointment or on retirement if not already holding the title (although the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign And Commonwealth Office will be created a Knight or Dame Commander of the Order Of St. Michael And St. George instead). The most senior Permanent Secretaries, such as the Secretary Of The Cabinet , may be created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order Of The Bath , and even be given a Life Peer age after retirement. For salary comparion purposes the Permanent Secretary is deemed broadly equivalent to a General and to a High Court Judge. The most famous (albeit fictional) Permanent Secretary is probably Sir Humphrey Appleby of the BBC TV Series '' Yes, Minister ''. CURRENT UK PERMANENT SECRETARIES There are currently 25 individuals in UK Government Departments with the grade of Permanent Secretary and 15 with the grade of Second Permanent Secretary. However, not all have these titles. The following departments are headed by officials who actually hold the title of Permanent Secretary:
The following departments are headed by individuals on the same grade who hold different titles:
The following departments of the Northern Ireland Executive are also headed by Permanent Secretaries:
OUTSIDE THE UK In the Republic Of Ireland , the position of Secretary-General of a Department is almost identical to that of a Permanent Secretary in the British Civil Service, with the exception that since the introduction in the mid-1990s, of the ''Strategic Management Initative'', the post is no longer permanent, but carries a seven year time limit. This coincided with the introduction of the change of title from the previous title of '''Secretary'''. Irish government departments may also have a Second Secretary, which is equivalent to the Second Permanent Secretary grade in the British Civil Service. See also Civil Service Of The Republic Of Ireland . Other Commonwealth or Westminister-style governments may also have officials holding the title of, or equivalent to, Permanent Secretary. In Canada, the position is Deputy Minister . In Australia the position is called the Secretary of the Department, or Director-General of the Department in some states and territories. In Hong Kong, heads of bureaux (Secretaries) were filled by civil servants had their titles changed to Permanent Secretaries, when political appointees filled the position of secretaries under the second Tung Chee Hua government in 2002. SEE ALSO |
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