Richard Heaton
| Richard Heaton CB | |
|---|---|
 Richard Heaton | |
| Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice | |
|
Assumed office August 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Ursula Brennan |
| Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary | |
|
In office August 2012 – August 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Ian Watmore |
| Succeeded by | John Manzoni |
| First Parliamentary Counsel | |
|
In office February 2012 – 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Stephen Laws |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Gardiner |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater |
Worcester College, Oxford Inns of Court School of Law |
Richard Heaton, CB is a barrister and senior British civil servant who has been the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery since September 2015.[1] He had previously served as Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary,[2][3] and First Parliamentary Counsel.[4]
Education
Heaton studied at Worcester College, Oxford, taking a BA in Law.[5]
Career
Heaton worked as a barrister, after being called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1988.[6] He joined the Government Legal Service in 1991 where he remained until moving to the Department for Constitutional Affairs in 2004 where he served as Director of Legal Services.[7] He then went on to work as Head of law and governance at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2007-2009, and Director General for pensions and ageing society from 2009-2012.
In February 2012, Heaton became First Parliamentary Counsel, replacing the retiring Sir Stephen Laws.[4] In August 2012, he was additionally appointed Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, taking over from Ian Watmore, splitting his time between the two roles.[5] In his role as First Parliamentary Counsel he launched the Good Law initiative, seeking to reduce complexity in legislation.[8] In April 2014, he became Civil Service Race Champion.[7]
On 2 July 2015, it was announced that Heaton would leave the Cabinet Office to take up the position of Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice (formally, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery), replacing Dame Ursula Brennan on her retirement.[9] His Cabinet Office roles were split: as Permanent Secretary, he was replaced by John Manzoni;[10] as First Parliamentary Counsel, Elizabeth Gardiner replaced him.[11]
Personal life
In 2011, he was placed at 91 on the Independent on Sunday Pink List, a list of influential British LGBT people.[12]
Honours
Heaton was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2011.[13]
References
- ↑ Bavister, G. A. (8 September 2015). "Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual". The London Gazette (HM Government). Retrieved 11 September 2015.
The Queen has been pleased by Royal Warrant bearing date 1 September 2015 to appoint Richard Nicholas Heaton, Esquire, CB to the Office of Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.
- ↑ "New Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary" (Press release). Cabinet Office. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ Dudman, Jane (6 August 2012). "Richard Heaton becomes part-time Cabinet Office permanent secretary". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- 1 2 "New First Parliamentary Counsel" (Press release). Cabinet Office. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- 1 2 Chambers, Joshua (17 October 2012). "Interview: Richard Heaton". Civil Service World. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ "Richard Nicholas HEATON". Debrett's People of Today. Debrett's. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Richard Heaton". gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ Cameron, Sue (22 May 2013). "The laws of the land aren’t fit for purpose". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ "New Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Justice announced" (Press release). Ministry of Justice. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ "New Permanent Secretary for Cabinet Office announced: John Manzoni - Press releases - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
- ↑ "First Parliamentary Counsel appointed: Elizabeth Gardiner - Press releases - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
- ↑ Herbert, Ian (23 October 2011). "The IoS Pink List 2011". Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ "Queen's birthday honours list: Knights". The Guardian. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ian Watmore |
Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary 2012-2015 |
Succeeded by John Manzoni |
| Preceded by Sir Stephen Laws |
First Parliamentary Counsel 2012-2015 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Gardiner |
| Preceded by Ursula Brennan |
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice 2015-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |