Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister The Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister is a senior official in the British Civil Service who acts as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is traditionally the head of the Prime Minister's Office. In the Civil Service, the role is currently graded as a Director-General. To date, no woman has ever occupied the office. In fiction, the character of Bernard Woolley in the television series "Yes, Prime Minister", occupied this post. The current Principal Private Secretary is Peter Hill, who was
Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service the determination of national security issues is an executive function and it would be inappropriate for the courts to intervene. The House of Lords held the Royal Prerogative was subject to judicial review, just like statutory instruments. However, on national security grounds, the action of restricting the trade union was justified. Lords Fraser, Scarman and Diplock all believed that the issue of national security was outside the remit of the courts. Lord Diplock wrote "it is par excellence a non-justiciable question. The judicial process is totally inept to deal with the sort of problems which it involves." Lord Fraser stated