Lord Heseltine: civil servants are 'amateurs' "No one knows what's going on in Whitehall and there's no way of finding out," he said. You can find out how much the total bill is. But if you want to know how many people are doing a particular function and what the objectives are and what the measurements of those objectives are and who set those objectives, no it doesn't exist. Lord Heseltine's growth review urged Mr Cameron to shrink Whitehall departments and devolve more power to the regions when it was published in October. It comes after several ministers have caused rows by criticising the civil service. Mr Cameron last year faced a backlash after describing officials as the enemies of enterprise. Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, has also accused Britain's most senior civil servants of deliberately blocking Government policies they do not agree with. He also said too many civil servants are "treading water." However, some senior Whitehall figures privately feel ministers have blamed the civil service for their own failings. Sir Gus O'Donnell, the former Cabinet Secretary, attacked "absurd" caricatures of Whitehall officials enjoying cushy jobs and gold-plated perks.