The Right Honourable The Lord Wilson of Dinton GCB |
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Cabinet Secretary Head of the Home Civil Service |
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In office 1998–2002 |
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Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Robin Butler |
Succeeded by | Andrew Turnbull |
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | |
In office 1994–1997 |
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Preceded by | Sir Clive Whitmore |
Succeeded by | Sir David Omand |
Personal details | |
Born | 11 October 1942 (age 74) |
Richard Thomas James Wilson, Baron Wilson of Dinton, GCB (born 11 October 1942) is a crossbench member of the British House of Lords.
Richard Wilson was born in Glamorgan. He was educated at Radley College (1956–60 and where he is now head of Council (the governing body)) and Clare College, Cambridge (1961–65), where he was awarded the degree of Master of Laws (LLM). He was called to the Bar but, rather than practice, entered the Civil Service as an assistant principal in the Board of Trade in 1966.
He subsequently served in a number of departments including 12 years in the Department of Energy where his responsibilities included nuclear power policy, the privatisation of Britoil, personnel and finance. He headed the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office under Mrs Thatcher from 1987–90 and after two years in the Treasury was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department of the Environment in 1992.
He became Permanent Under Secretary of the Home Office in 1994 and Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service in January 1998, retiring in 2002.
Wilson was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1991 New Year Honours, promoted to Knight Commander (KCB) in the 1997 New Year Honours and to Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in the 2001 New Year Honours.