About 70 top civil servants are to meet for a brainstorming session to make Government departments more efficient and business-like.

Permanent Secretaries, senior heads of departments as well as Cabinet Secretary Leo Mills and the two Assistant Cabinet Secretaries will gather for a two-day `Executive Summit' in the Southampton Princess next week.

Yesterday Mr. Mills said: "The first day of this summit will focus on the Bermuda Government as a business enterprise. The second day will centre around leadership issues.

"The objective of this Executive Summit is to ensure that the public service is equipped to meet the anticipated and non-anticipated demands placed before them as they head into the 21st Century and beyond.'' Private sector experts will lead workshops and seminars and explain the latest trends in planning and leadership.

In addition the summit will also lead to an in-house system to help senior civil servants select, train and promote staff to succeed in top Government executive posts.

"It will also provide an opportunity for people to network and take part in panel discussions and seminars and engage in some constructive discussion about planning and management,'' added Mr. Mills.

He said the idea of a summit had been a dream he and the Personnel Department had harboured for several years.

"This is the first opportunity we have had to get all the senior managers together in one place to discuss some of the issues we have to grapple with on a day-to-day basis -- being user-friendly, accountable, more efficient and productive.'' The summit will be opened by the Governor, Lord Waddington, and the Premier David Saul. It is being held at the Atlantic Room at the Princess.

"I would like to see this become an annual event or at least every two years,'' added Mr. Mills.