Section 68: Direction of Government departments

68. Direction of Government departments Where any Minister has been charged with responsibility for the administration of any department of Government, he shall exercise general direction and control over that department and, subject to such direction and control, any department in the charge of a Minister (including the office of the Prime Minister or any other Minister) shall be under the supervision of a Permanent Secretary or of some other supervising officer whose office shall be a public office: Provided that— (a) any such department may be under the joint supervision of 2 or more supervising officers; and (b) different parts of any such department may respectively be under the supervision of different supervising officers.