Permanent secretaries asked to step down

All serving permanent secretaries were yesterday asked to consider tendering their resignation in the first substantive move by the newly appointed head of the civil service. The request was made by the outgoing principal permanent secretary, Godwin Grima, on instructions from Mario Cutajar, the person designated to replace him. The permanent secretaries, who head the civil service within each ministry, serve on three-year contracts but, although they can be removed by the Prime Minister at will, they are not political appointees and unlike chairmen are not expected to step down with a change of government. The move, which has drawn a sharp reaction in the civil service, comes only a day after the announcement of Mr Cutajar’s appointment, which had itself created ripples on account of his former roles in the GWU and the Labour Party. The OPM said Mr Cutajar would replace Dr Grima both as head of the civil service and Cabinet secretary but there would be a transitional period in which the ex-GWU official would act as designate. “While it is understandable for a new Labour government to want a person of its trust to head the civil service, Mr Cutajar’s former role in the party runs...