Date published: 2006/06/03
The BBC says:
Ministers are trying to shift the blame for failing policies on to civil servants, the leader of the union for top Whitehall officials has said.
In a BBC interview, Jonathan Baume, general Secretary of the First Division Association, cited recent problems with immigration and foreign prisoners.
Ministers' behaviour had been "unfair" and "cowardly", he said elsewhere.
In an interview for BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour, to be broadcast on Sunday, Mr Baume criticised the government's handling of the Home Office situation.
In a separate statement, he said: "Some recent criticism of the civil service looks like an ill-disguised attempt by some politicians and commentators to make excuses, and shift responsibility for struggling policies from ministers to the staff who serve them."
He called it "absolute nonsense" to suggest officials were not accountable for their actions.
Mr Baume also said: "The civil service must take it on the chin when it fails, and some criticism is justified. Nor should we shy away from debate on difficult issues.
Has anyone of any seniority in the civil service ever "taken it on the chin" for the many disasters the civil service has been responsible for (most notably failed and over-budget computer systems)? Of course ministers are responsible for some disasters, and they rarely "take it on the chin" for that either. But at least the voters can throw out the government at the next election, with the civil service it's difficult to sack anyone.
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