Whitehall FDs to get qualified: Mandarins are under pressure to gain relevant credentials.

AuthorBerens, Camilla
PositionGovernment Finance - Brief Article

Accountancy is set to take on a much stronger position in key government departments as part of the drive to professionalise the finance function across Whitehall.

A recent letter from the Treasury's finance director, Sir Andrew Likierman FCMA, spelt out the government's intention to change finance chiefs from "generalist" civil servants into those with accountancy qualifications.

Currently, fewer than a quarter of Whitehall's principal finance officers (PFOs) hold an accountancy qualification, so the decision to change the role of PFOs to finance directors is widely viewed as long overdue. The move will bring central government offices in line with other public-sector organisations, where there has been an emphasis on professional accountancy qualifications for finance chiefs for many years.

The decision is part of the government's recent programme to improve financial management across Whitehall and is linked to the current efficiency review led by Sir Peter...

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