New blood is to be brought into the civil service to ensure that it moves on to reflect society’s changing need by becoming more diverse and more open to all talents. Plans include Board appointments and mid career recruitment.In order to give an external perspective, by the end of next year all departments are to have a non-executive director or advisor. 

A New Media Team has been set up to light the spark for a rise in public services on the Internet. The team, headed by e-envoy Alex Allen, will act as agents for change driving up standards of Government websites and paving the way for a revolution in the way many public services are delivered. The aim is to give Britain a world class Internet presence.An early task for the team will be to audit Government websites and set targets for complying with new guidelines just published.