Sir David Normington
Wednesday 17th December 2008 at 12:33
Permanent secretary, Home Office
What was your highlight of 2008?
We have had a very good year in the Home Office. One highlight was meeting the targets of our 2004 public service agreement, particularly reducing crime by well over the 15 per cent target. Another highlight was, of course, our successful capability review in June, which was a great boost to our confidence.
What was your biggest challenge in 2008?
I think it was the capability review, because this was the moment when all our hard work to turn round the Home Office was subject to external scrutiny and assessment. We were certain within the Home Office that we had made great improvements in performance and capability, but we had to prove it to the sceptical eyes of independent assessors. I am very glad to say that they found evidence of dramatic improvements. Of course there is a lot more to do, but this is a great platform on which to build.
What are your priorities for 2009?
I think the key challenge for us is to connect better with people’s real concerns on, for example, policing, crime and immigration. We need to build public confidence that we are tackling effectively the things that make people feel insecure in their daily lives.
How do you intend to achieve them?
We need to raise our game again in 2009. We need our people to be more professional, more skilled and more knowledgeable about the issues they are dealing with. We want our staff to be listening more to public concerns and getting a first-hand view of the issues we are dealing with. We also want good, confident relations with our key partners and stakeholders, on many of whom we rely for the delivery of effective services.
What would you like for Christmas?
I would like to hope that a rest will be possible; I think we have all earned it!
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