Margaret Hodge subjected senior civil servants to a fierce ear-boxing
this morning. She accused them of trying to avoid the scrutiny of her Public Accounts Committee, and declared the current doctrine of
ministerial responsibility unfit for the 21st century:
Hodge also said she ‘has been rattling the cage too much for some’ and detailed some of the resistance she’s encountered. In particular, she highlighted a disagreement with Gus O’Donnell, the former Cabinet Secretary, who berated her for the handling of an investigating into HM Revenue & Customs. ‘It was as if he had taken on the role,’ she claimed, ‘of shop steward for aggrieved permanent secretaries.’‘The senior civil service needs to acknowledge that we live in a different world from the world in which ancient conventions could prevail. Everybody wants greater transparency and accountability.’
But just because O’Donnell has retired doesn’t mean Hodge has a clear road to reform.
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