Heaton appointed as the new permanent secretary at MoJ

Richard Heaton has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, where he will lead the department through the next period of change.

Heaton, currently Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office and First Parliamentary Counsel, joined the civil service after a short career at the Bar. He will replace Ursula Brennan, who is retiring from the Civil Service during the summer recess.

Heaton said: “The subjects addressed by the Ministry of Justice—law, justice, prison reform, rehabilitation—are where I have spent much of my working life and they are close to my heart.”

Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, said: “Richard is an inspirational leader who brings a combination of experience in leading organisational change from his role in the Cabinet Office and legal expertise from his time as First Parliamentary Counsel and his previous legal roles, both inside and outside the Civil Service.”