He has appointed Sir Michael Bichard, one of the few top civil servants with extensive managerial experience, to beef up the civil service's management.

ECONOMIST: Civil-service reform

She promised to implement the proposals recommended by Sir Michael Bichard in the wake of the Soham murders, and to bring the sex offenders' register in line with so-called List 99 - the "blacklist" of people banned from working in schools.

BBC: Thursday, 19 January, 2006