Bernard Jenkin MP, chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee, has called for a parliamentary commission into the future of the civil service in a speech to senior civil servants.

During his speech to the conference of the FDA union, Mr Jenkin argued that a parliamentary commission is needed to look at the fundamental questions of what the Civil Service is for and how it needs to change.  The current Civil Service Reform Plan is an action plan rather than a strategic document. Mr Jenkin also highlighted problems with the leadership of the civil service, in particular the rotation of departmental heads and the lack of leaders willing to take responsibility.

The full speech is below:

Bernard Jenkin MP has written an article in the Telegraph calling for a referendum on the EU before the next election to give the Prime Minister a mandate with which to negotiate a new relationship for the UK. Mr Jenkin argues that the Prime Minister should ask Parliament to approve a referendum for next year, setting out terms for a new relationship with the EU. 

Bernard Jenkin MP has argued that the situations in Syria and North Korea show how unpredictable the international security situation is, underlining the need to maintain the UK's nuclear deterrent into the future.

“Today’s news reminds us that Margaret Thatcher was a huge political figure.  Much of what people enjoy and take for granted today we owe to Mrs Thatcher.  She will always be revered as a woman of principle with iron determination, even by those who disagree with her.  People forget that everyone thought Britain was finished in the 1970s, until she became prime minister.  Her premiership was about far more than defeating General Galtieri and the old trade unions.  It was about restoring national self-belief.  We forget how highly respected she is in other countries, particularly in those which have now become democracies.  And as time has gone by, she has been proved right about so many things, not least about the disaster of European Union. 

Bernard Jenkin, MP for Harwich and North Essex, has called for good leadership in the NHS, arguing that this is the right answer to hospital management problems and cannot be compensated for with more regulation.

Bernard Jenkin MP has called on the Government to reduce the entry costs for small businesses who wish to bid for government contracts, arguing that the current bidding processes are prohibitive for smaller firms.

Bernard Jenkin MP has praised the work of the Global Poverty Project and its work to help women in poverty around the world.