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26.05.15

Cabinet Office minister prioritising diversity and performance related pay

Performance related pay is to be extended in the Civil Service and there will be an improved push for diversity, according to the new minister for the Cabinet Office.

Matt Hancock MP gave his first speech since taking over from Francis Maude as the politician in charge of Civil Service reform last week.

Speaking at the Institute for Government, he said he intended to continue the reforms started by his predecessor and set out a vision for a more agile civil service with the “permission to try” new ways of doing things and the “freedom to fail” if they go wrong.

The minister believes that performance related pay is needed as part of efforts to retain and support the best people.

He said: “A link between performance and pay is a reasonable link in managing any large organisation.”

When speaking about diversity, Hancock also said that to govern modern Britain, the Civil Service must become more like modern Britain.

“What matters is not the bowler hat but what’s underneath it,” he added.

He pointed out that one in three young people in Britain today are from working-class backgrounds. but only 7% of applicants to the Civil Service Fast Stream are, falling to just 3.5% of those who are given offers.

“It’s not good enough,” Hancock said. “The Civil Service must get better at recruiting from a wider talent pool, and must ensure that the ladder to the top can be climbed by all. I am proud to have worked with Francis to introduce the Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme to broaden access. But this is just a start.”

The new minister’s focus on diversity did not go down well with the PCS union, which tweeted:

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Comments

HGRB   27/05/2015 at 11:06

Is the tail wagging the dog. Nothing happens in that office without the top man's say so.

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