Richard Heaton has been appointed Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. Currently Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office and First Parliamentary Counsel, he will replace Ursula Brennan who retires in the summer. Called to the Bar by Inner Temple in 1988, he joined the Home Office three years later and has held a number of legal roles within government, including at the Lord Chancellor’s Department. He was appointed Head of Legal Services in the Department of Constitutional Affairs before moving to the Department for Work and Pensions and then the Department of Health.