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Smarter Government

My Lords, the noble Lord recognises that the limited support behind me merely bestows confidence in the Government’s message being delivered from this Dispatch Box. However, I have considerable sympathy with the noble Lord when he identifies this issue of civil servant movement elsewhere in the country. I must be negative about what he said about Sir Humphrey. After all, Sir Humphrey was a Permanent Secretary. In fact, he ended up as Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretaries are no more likely to be located in Newcastle than in Manchester because they are expected to give regular advice to Ministers. They need to be in close association with them and on tap. But on the broader issues that the noble Lord raises, if a critical mass of civil servants move to a particular area, effective management should move with them. I have sympathy with that proposition and I think it is incorporated in the Statement that we are making today.