John Jay writing in the Sunday Times Business News urged Chancellor Gordon Brown to appoint a chief operating officer for government to increase efficiency. He argued that adopting best private sector practice could achieve savings of up to one fifth. This contrasts with the planned efficiency saving of some 2% annually for the period up to 2002. 

Easing the stress of unemployment and helping people back to work is the aim of the Single Gateway to Work which integrates all elements of the benefit system. The gateway consists of a one stop shop and a personal adviser. This gateway approach is being piloted before a national roll out as in other initiatives such as New Deal for young people and education and health action zones. Four pilots will be launched in June and a further eight in November. 

Economic prescription versus effective organizational change in public agencies
Dixon J, Kouzmin A, Korac-Kakabadse N
The International Journal of Public Sector Management, (UK), 1998 Vol 11 No 2. Start page: 164. No of pages: 24
Explores the meaning of managerialism, its reason for being and the challenges and threats to be confronted before its promise of sustained improvement in public agency performance can be realized.