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Written question asked by Mike Wood (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2026. It was answered by Satvir Kaur (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Permanent Secretaries: Conditions of Employment

Question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, what plans he has to consult (a) permanent secretaries and (b) the First Division Association on proposed changes to Permanent Secretary terms of employment.

Answer

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

There are no proposed changes to the Permanent Secretary terms of employment. The Permanent Secretary model contract sets out that performance is subject to regular appraisal and review, and that assessment includes how policy of Ministers and the objectives of departments have been executed.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
1181
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Conditions of employment FDA Permanent secretaries
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk