His first senior appointment in the Civil Service started when he was appointed Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary in 1971, a post he held until 1973. From 1978 to 1980 he was Secretary to the Wilson Committee of Inquiry into Financial Institutions. He held various other appointments in the Civil Service, including Director of Fiscal & Monetary Policy (1994–95). He was the Head of Policy Group in the Department of Social Security from 1995 to 1997.
