Career civil servant Judith Hall-Bean has been promoted to Acting Deputy Head of the Civil Service as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.

Currently an Assistant Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Hall-Bean takes the position until December 31, along with three other three-month appointments.

Rosemary Tyrrell becomes Acting Assistant Cabinet Secretary for Committees, Alberta Dyer-Tucker becomes Acting Assistant Cabinet Secretary for Policy/CPU and William Francis becomes Acting Permanent Secretary for Cabinet Office.

Mrs. Hall-Bean, the sister of the late lawyer Julian Hall, was awarded an OBE last summer for more than 40 years' dedication to the Civil Service having risen through the ranks since joining as a typist in 1965.

Mrs. Tyrrell has until now been Permanent Secretary for Cabinet Office. She was in the news three years ago when she was Education Permanent Secretary at the time the public schools system came under fire from the Hopkins Report; she was moved from her position days after experts recommended the "wholesale firing of the entire senior team".

Mr. Francis has been Permanent Secretary for Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce; an acting replacement will be announced shortly.

Some in the Progressive Labour Party have questioned the timing of the new appointments less than three weeks before a new Premier is elected.

Some party members have suggested Premier Ewart Brown could try to get his own people into key positions before the end of the month. However, there is no suggestion any of this week's four appointments are "Dr. Brown people", while some close to the Premier point out the appointments are only for three months.

Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque is currently doubling up as Acting Head of the Civil Service following the resignation of Kenneth Dill.

Mr. Telemaque, who was appointed at the start of Dr. Brown's tenure, declined to comment when asked if he expects to stay on in both posts. His predecessor, John Drinkwater, held the post for six years during both Dame Jennifer Smith and Alex Scott's Premierships.