reveal.

Leo Mills -- Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service -- could be due to be replaced by Home Affairs and Public Safety Permanent Secretary John Drinkwater.

Works and Engineering Permanent Secretary Stanley Oliver is also likely to move over to Cabinet Office so Government can carry through on its promise to split the responsibility of Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service.

Mr. Drinkwater is in line to become Cabinet Secretary, while Mr. Oliver could take over responsibility as head of the Civil Service.

Current number two to Mr. Mills, Robert Horton, is also in a good position for a move up to one or other of the two positions.

Both Mr. Mills and Mr. Drinkwater declined to discuss any Civil Service movements.

Mr. Mills' decision to go means that as many as 20 top Civil Servants have left their jobs or retired in the last year-and-a-half.

Opposition leader Pamela Gordon last night said the rash of defections from the public service was worrying.

Mills to quit Cabinet Secretary post Continued form Page 1 She added: "What all this basically says is it's definitely something of a concern.

"What we must do ultimately is look at the Civil Service Review and determine exactly what was recommended.

"But it's worrying that there is a lack of accountability here.

"It's very difficult for us to go off and make comments when we don't know what the outcome of this review is.'' Ms Gordon noted the Civil Service Review only became public because it was leaked to the media.

She said: "If this Government would start being more open and allow people to scrutinise which direction they have opted to go in, it would be far less confusing for those who have no choice but to speculate on everything.

"If the review hadn't been leaked to the Press, nobody would know anything about it.

"Government keeps talking about what will come out of this Civil Service Review, but they have yet to make it public.

"And, at the moment, we don't know if all these people have left as a consequence of the review or if people are feeling uncomfortable in their jobs and taking the first chance to retire.

"Government is not operating in the full public scrutiny they promised.

"They talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk.'' The Civil Service Review recommended sweeping changes to the structure of Government and Ministries.

A UK report team said Cabinet should be cut nearly in half, with just eight Ministers, all full-time.

The review also suggested a beefed-up Cabinet Office with more departments under the Premier, including Information Services -- a move which has already taken place.

The report added that the Cabinet Secretary's role should be split and the creation of a new UK Style Policy Unit to co-ordinate Government planning, with the option of a seconded UK Civil Servant for the policy roles.

Leo Mills