Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Civil Service Staff Turnover

Thursday 23 November 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The government launched a policy in July 2022 setting minimum assignment durations for senior civil service roles to manage knowledge transfer and subject expertise.
  • Senior civil service turnover in 2022 was 12.4%, with 5% due to resignations.
  • The government aims to retain specialisms longer to ensure key government programmes benefit from enduring expertise.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bernard Jenkin Con Harwich and North Essex
Standards & Ethics
Context

Staff churn in the civil service has been a long-standing issue, dating back to the 1960s Fulton inquiry under Harold Wilson. The problem is worsening.

Question

What assessment has the government made of the potential impact of staff turnover in the civil service on domain knowledge and subject expertise among senior civil servants?

Answer from John Glen

In July 2022, we launched a policy setting expected assignment durations for SCS1 and SCS2 roles at a default minimum of three years to support the transfer of knowledge management and subject expertise. The initial impact will be reviewed by July next year, with a fuller review in July 2025.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide specific details on the assessment of the impact of staff turnover.

How: Under Review

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Q2 Bernard Jenkin Con Harwich and North Essex
Standards & Ethics
Context

The issue of churn and generalism in the civil service has persisted for decades since the Fulton inquiry under Harold Wilson. The MP references a government submission to a Liaison Committee's inquiry on strategic thinking and highlights the importance of domain knowledge and subject expertise.

Question

Does the Government acknowledge that the problem of churn and generalism in the civil service has worsened over 50 years? Can we better scrutinise government strategy if experts with domain knowledge are not present?

Answer from John Glen

Pivotal role allowances have been in place for 10 years, and my predecessor Lord Maude introduced initiatives. In 2022, senior civil service turnover was 12.4% with resignations at 5%. We need to retain specialisms longer so that key Government programmes benefit from enduring expertise.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide a specific commitment for a supplementary note or detailed plan on retaining expertise.

How: Building On Previous Initiatives

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