From an article in today's Guardian:
'Ministers are to be given new powers to appoint civil servants who will work in larger ministerial offices staffed by special advisers and external experts on fixed-term contracts.
The change agreed with the head of the civil service amounts to a mini-revolution as civil servants will be accountable to the cabinet minister, and not the permanent secretary, the senior civil servant in charge of the department...
The move follows recommendations from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)...[which] looked at other systems, such as those in Australia and Canada, and concluded that British ministers were under-supported.
The new extended ministerial offices are expected to comprise a mix of civil servants and special advisers, but the bulk will be civil servants personally appointed by ministers. Maude does not believe the reform requires legislation or changes to the civil service code, but it will provide ministers with a team committed to the minister's objectives...
A Cabinet Office source said the proposals had cross-party support, pointing out the IPPR report has been praised by Margaret Hodge, the Labour chair of the public accounts committee.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jul/10/ministers-new-powers-civil-servants
