Head of the civil service will not run a cabinet
The head of the civil service will not lead the cabinet for the first time in several legislators in a move that surprised those inside the government.
The Times of Malta is informed that the newly appointed Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana will not act as cabinet secretary, despite the fact that that role is traditionally filled by the head of the civil service.
Instead, the post is expected to be given to 32-year-old Ryan Spagnol, who currently works in the Prime Minister’s Office as a policy coordinator.
The secretary of the cabinet of ministers is a constitutional role with the holder in charge of coordinating all the work of the cabinet across the government. The government’s Department of Internal Audit and Investigations (IAID) also falls under the responsibilities of the cabinet secretary.
Elderly civil servants said concerns had been raised in the back halls of the government about the administration’s decision to split roles.
“It’s not a question of whether Ryan (Spagnol) is competent – he’s a capable person. But the two roles – PPS and cabinet secretary have been tied together for the better part of twenty years for good reason, ”said a senior civil servant.
The Times of Malta is informed that while Sultana has acted as a stand-in secretary to the cabinet in recent weeks, this summer he will be handing over the reins to Spagnol.
His appointment to replace PPS Mario Cutajar has long been formally approved last month and Sultana will be retaining his previous post as head of the government IT agency MITA.
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