Whitehall: Changing face of government

The Cabinet Office announced the major change in Whitehall thinking as it published figures for its own recruitment targets.

They show the highest reaches of Whitehall are becoming more diverse with an increase in women and ethnic minorities.

Whitehall missed targets for women and disabled people in less senior posts.

The government had set targets for broadening the range of people in senior civil service by 2005, the aim being to bring in more women, people with disabilities and minorities.

According to the figures, the government slightly bettered a target for women in the most senior management positions, with just over a quarter of top posts in their hands compared with 18% in 1998.

2008 DIVERSITY TARGETS Women: 37% Women in top posts: 30% Ethnic minorities: 4% Disabilities: 3.2% Source: Cabinet Office

The government met its 2005 target for senior staff from ethnic minorities (3.2% of posts) and appears to have just missed the target for people with disabilities (a target of 3%).

While Whitehall fell short of the target on women in less senior posts - 29% against a target of 35% - overall the figures suggest that government is doing better than other sectors in widening the profile of its senior staff.

The Cabinet Office has now set slightly higher targets for recruitment in each of the four categories by 2008, with progress to be reported every six months.

Cabinet Office Secretary John Hutton said more had to be done, including the recruitment of people with disabilities.

"It is important that the civil service reflects the community it is there to service.

"What we are going to do is try and make sure that the civil service as a whole makes more progress in meeting targets that we have set.

"And one of the things that we are proposing, for example, is that permanent secretaries who have an annual discussion with [Cabinet Secretary] Gus O'Donnell will have their performance-related bonus conditional on how they are doing in this particular area. I think that might well galvanise some action."

Rate of change

Sir Gus O'Donnell, the UK's most senior civil servant, said the 10-point plan would increase the rate of change.

"I want the civil service to be a beacon for change and a model of best practice for all organisations," said Sir Gus. "A truly representative workforce, including at the most senior levels, will enable policies and services to be developed in ways which will result in better outcomes for everyone in society. That is why this must happen."

Among other proposals, the civil service is expected to introduce more flexible working arrangements and put a more diverse range of people in charge of recruitment interviews.