Sir Arnold William France, GCB (20 April 1911 – 2 January 1998) was an English civil servant.
Born on 20 April 1920, the son of a bank manager, France worked in the same bank as his father before serving in the Army during the Second World War.Arthur Green, "France, Sir Arnold William", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed., Oxford University Press, 2004). Retrieved 27 June 2025. In 1943, he was made Deputy Economic and Financial Adviser to the Minister of State in the Middle East; in 1945, he entered HM Treasury, where he was appointed third secretary in 1960. In 1963, he moved to the Ministry of Health as deputy secretary,"France, Sir Arnold William", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, 2024). Retrieved 27 June 2025 and was then its permanent secretary from 1964 to 1968, during which time the Ministry introduced a new charter of general practice which overhauled the system of payments made to doctors; he was closely involved in the negotiations with the medical profession this entailed. He was then chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue from 1968 to 1972; while principally concerned with departmental management, he also oversaw the opening of the Inland Revenue's first computer centre. In the 1970s he was a director of The Rank Organisation.
France was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1957 Birthday Honours,The London Gazette, 4 June 1957 (supplement; issue 41089), p. 3369. and was promoted to Knight Commander (KCB) in the 1965 Birthday HonoursThe London Gazette, 4 June 1965 (supplement; issue 43667), p. 5473. and Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in the 1972 Birthday Honours.The London Gazette, 23 May 1972 (supplement; issue 45678), p. 6257. He died on 2 January 1998.
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