Permanent Secretary to the Treasury
Encyclopedia
The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is the most senior civil servant at HM Treasury
. The post originated as that of Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in 1805; that office was given new duties and renamed in 1867 as a Permanent Secretary
ship.
The position is generally regarded as the second most influential in Her Majesty's Civil Service; the last two incumbents have gone on to be Cabinet Secretary
, the only post out-ranking it.
It has also been somewhat politicised in the past; in 1909, Sir George Murray was involved in lobbying various Crossbench peers in the House of Lords
to reject the Chancellor of the Exchequer
's proposed budget.
Since March 2009, Tom Scholar
has served as the Treasury's Second Permanent Secretary. The post of Head of the Government Economic Service
had been held by Sir Nicholas Stern (now Lord Stern of Brentford) until June 2007, since when it has been jointly held by Vicky Pryce
, Chief Economic Adviser and Director General of Economics at BIS
, and Dave Ramsden
, Managing Director, Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy Directorate.
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
. The post originated as that of Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in 1805; that office was given new duties and renamed in 1867 as a Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
ship.
The position is generally regarded as the second most influential in Her Majesty's Civil Service; the last two incumbents have gone on to be Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary
A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...
, the only post out-ranking it.
It has also been somewhat politicised in the past; in 1909, Sir George Murray was involved in lobbying various Crossbench peers in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
to reject the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
's proposed budget.
Assistant Secretaries to the Treasury
- George HarrisonGeorge Harrison (civil servant)Sir George Harrison, FRS, GCH was an English barrister and civil servant. During a tenure of twenty-one years at the Treasury, he presided over the growth of a professional civil service and an increasing transfer of power from political appointees to administrators.-Biography:An able young...
(1805–1826) - William Hill (1826–1828)
- James Henry Keith StewartJames Henry Keith StewartJames Henry Keith Stewart was a Scottish Tory Member of Parliament.Stewart was a younger son of John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway and his second wife, Anne Dashwood.He represented Wigtown Burghs 1812–1821...
(1828–1836) - Alexander Spearman (1836–1840)
- Sir Charles TrevelyanSir Charles Trevelyan, 1st BaronetSir Charles Edward Trevelyan, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British civil servant and colonial administrator. As a young man, he worked with the colonial government in Calcutta, India; in the late 1850s and 1860s he served there in senior-level appointments...
(1840–1859) - George Alexander HamiltonGeorge Alexander HamiltonGeorge Alexander Hamilton was a minor British Conservative Party politician and later a prominent civil servant.-Political career:...
(1859–1867)
Permanent Secretaries to the Treasury
- George Alexander HamiltonGeorge Alexander HamiltonGeorge Alexander Hamilton was a minor British Conservative Party politician and later a prominent civil servant.-Political career:...
(1867–1870) - Sir Ralph LingenRalph Lingen, 1st Baron LingenRalph Robert Wheeler Lingen, 1st Baron Lingen KCB was an English civil servant.-Background and education:...
(1870–1885) - Sir Reginald WelbyReginald Welby, 1st Baron WelbyReginald Earle Welby, 1st Baron Welby GCB, PC was a British peer, former Permanent Secretary to the Treasury and former President of the Royal Statistical Society.-Early life and education:...
(1885–1894) - Sir Edward HamiltonEdward Walter HamiltonSir Edward Hamilton was political diarist and one time private secretary to William Ewart Gladstone when in 1880 when Gladstone became Prime Minister for the second time...
(1885–1907) (joint) - Sir Francis Mowatt (1894–1903) (joint)
- Sir George Murray (1903–1911) (joint)
- Sir Robert ChalmersRobert Chalmers, 1st Baron ChalmersRobert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers GCB PC , was a British civil servant.-Background and education:Chalmers was born in Stoke Newington, Middlesex, the son of John Chalmers and his wife Julia...
(1911–1913) - Sir John Bradbury (1913–1919) (joint)
- Sir T. L. HeathT. L. HeathSir Thomas Little Heath was a British civil servant, mathematician, classical scholar, historian of ancient Greek mathematics, translator, and mountaineer. He was educated at Clifton College...
(1913–1919) (joint) - Sir Robert ChalmersRobert Chalmers, 1st Baron ChalmersRobert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers GCB PC , was a British civil servant.-Background and education:Chalmers was born in Stoke Newington, Middlesex, the son of John Chalmers and his wife Julia...
(1916–1919) - Sir Warren FisherWarren FisherSir Warren Fisher was a British civil servant.Fisher was born in Croydon, London on 22 September 1879. He was educated at the Dragon School , Winchester College and Hertford College, Oxford University...
(1919–1939) - Sir Horace Wilson (1939–1942)
- Sir Richard Hopkins (1942–1945)
- Sir Edward Bridges (1945–1956)
- Sir Norman BrookNorman Brook, 1st Baron NormanbrookNorman Craven Brook, 1st Baron Normanbrook GCB, PC , known as Sir Norman Brook between 1946 and 1964, was a British civil servant...
(1956–1963) (joint) - Sir Roger MakinsRoger Makins, 1st Baron SherfieldRoger Mellor Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield, GCB, GCMG, FRS , was a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1953 to 1956....
(1956–1959) (joint) - Sir Frank Lee (1960–1962) (joint)
- Sir William ArmstrongWilliam Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of SandersteadWilliam Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Sanderstead GCB, MVO, PC was a British civil servant and banker.The son of William Armstrong and Priscilla Hopkins, he was born in Clapton in London. Armstrong was educated at Bec School in Tooting and Exeter College, Oxford...
(1962–1968) (joint) - Sir Laurence Helsby (1963–1968) (joint)
- Sir Douglas AllenDouglas Allen, Baron CrohamDouglas Albert Vivian Allen, Baron Croham GCB, was a British politician and civil servant.The son of Albert John Allen, Douglas Allen was only one when his father was killed in action during the First World War...
(1968–1974) - Sir Douglas WassDouglas WassSir Douglas Wass was Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury from 1974 to 1983 and served as joint head of the civil service in 1981.- External Links :*...
(1974–1983) - Sir Peter MiddletonPeter MiddletonSir Peter Edward Middleton GCB is a British UK Chairman, Marsh & McLennan Companies, former banker and current Chancellor of the University of Sheffield.-Life:...
(1983–1991) - Sir Terence BurnsTerence Burns, Baron BurnsTerence Burns, Baron Burns, GCB is a British economist, made a life peer in 1998 for his services as former Chief Economic Advisor and Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury. He is currently Chairman of Santander UK, Non-Executive Chairman of Glas Cymru, and a Non-Executive Director of Pearson Group...
(1991–1998) - Sir Andrew TurnbullAndrew Turnbull, Baron TurnbullAndrew Turnbull, Baron Turnbull, KCB, CVO was the head of Her Majesty's Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary between 2002 and 2005 when he was succeeded by Sir Gus O'Donnell....
(1998–2002) - Sir Gus O'DonnellGus O'DonnellSir Augustine Thomas "Gus" O'Donnell GCB is a British civil servant, who is the current Cabinet Secretary, the highest rank in the British Civil Service. He is consequently, under current practice, Head of the Civil Service, which means he has authority over all civil servants except those who are...
(2002–2005) - Sir Nicholas MacphersonNicholas MacphersonSir Nicholas Macpherson, KCB is a senior British civil servant, serving as the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury since 2 August 2005. He succeeded Sir Gus O'Donnell upon the latter's promotion to Cabinet Secretary....
(2005–present)
Since March 2009, Tom Scholar
Tom Scholar
Thomas Whinfield Scholar, known commonly as Tom Scholar, is a British Civil Servant who is a director of the nationalised bank, Northern Rock and was previously Chief of Staff for Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street...
has served as the Treasury's Second Permanent Secretary. The post of Head of the Government Economic Service
Government Economic Service
The Government Economic Service was founded in 1964 by Sir Alec Cairncross. It is a professional grouping of public sector economists who work across some 40 government departments and agencies, the Bank of England is also a Corporate Member of the GES. The GES recruits economists on behalf of the...
had been held by Sir Nicholas Stern (now Lord Stern of Brentford) until June 2007, since when it has been jointly held by Vicky Pryce
Vicky Pryce
Vicky Pryce CB is an economist, and former Joint Head of the United Kingdom's Government Economic Service.-Early life:She was born in Athens, the daughter of Nicolas and Voula Courmouzis...
, Chief Economic Adviser and Director General of Economics at BIS
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
, and Dave Ramsden
Dave Ramsden
David Edward John Ramsden CBE is a senior British civil servant, serving as the Managing Director of Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy in HM Treasury...
, Managing Director, Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy Directorate.