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John-Paul Marks
Official portrait, 2022
Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2022
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon Humza Yousaf John Swinney
Preceded by	Leslie Evans
Personal details
Born	1979 or 1980 (age 44–45) Jersey
Alma mater	University of Cambridge Boston University

John-Paul ('JP') Marks (born 1979–1980) is a senior civil servant who currently serves as the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, a position he has held since 2022 following the departure of previous office holder, Leslie Evans.

Prior to becoming Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, he previously worked in the UK Government's Department for Work and Pensions, serving as the Director General for Work and Health Services from 2019 to 2022 and Director General for Universal Credit Operations from 2018 to 2019.

Marks is set to succeed the retiring Jim Harra as First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive at HMRC in April 2025.

Early life

John-Paul Marks was born in Jersey in the Channel Islands. The son of Susan Marks and Dr Michael Marks, he attended the Victoria College. He studied at Cambridge University from 1999 to 2002 and earned a MA in social and political science. He attended Boston University, graduating in 2003 with an MA in international relations.

Career

Civil service

Marks joined the UK civil service in 2004. In HM Treasury, he served as the Speechwriter to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Marks spent much of his career before the Scottish Government at the Department for Work and Pensions, latterly as Director General. He served as Principal Private Secretary to Yvette Cooper and Iain Duncan Smith, and was Private Secretary to Mike O'Brien among other roles.

Permanent Secretary; 2022–

Marks was appointed as the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government on 1 January 2022. At the time of his appointment, Marks was said to be "committed to building a world-class, values-led civil service which excels in serving the public". Upon commencement as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, he assumed the role of leading the Scottish Government civil service, ensuring it delivers the "full range of devolved powers and duties set out in the Scotland Acts". As the principal accountable officer for the Scottish Government, he is primarily responsible and accountable to the Scottish Parliament for the exercise of his responsibilities as Permanent Secretary.

As Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, he is responsible for more than 7,000 civil servants working for the Scottish Government in Scotland, as well as other locations including Europe, North America and Asia. As Permanent Secretary, Marks is responsible for the development, implementation and communication of government policies.

Personal life

Marks is married with two children. He currently resides in Scotland.

References

1. ^ Morel, Julien (23 November 2021). "Jersey man chosen as next leader of the Scottish Civil Service". Bailiwick Express Jersey. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
2. "New Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive at HM Revenue and Customs". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
3. "Scotland's First Minister 'delighted' to welcome Islander to senior role". Jersey Evening Post. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
4. "Pardee Alumni Appointed Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government | The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
5. "John-Paul Marks". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
6. "John-Paul Marks". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
7. "Permanent Secretary". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
8. "Permanent Secretary". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
9. "John-Paul Marks". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
10. "Permanent Secretary". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2 June 2024.

• Living people
• Permanent Secretaries of the Scottish Executive
• Jersey politicians