HC Deb 10 December 1942 vol 385 cc1686-7
33. Mr. William Brown

asked the Minister of Pensions why his Director of Local Administration on 12th November, 1942, issued an instruction requiring permanent civil servants to obtain permission before accepting invitations extended to them in their individual capacity to attend outside meetings or conferences on matters of general public interest relating to their work or Department, and temporary civil servants before accepting invitations to meetings or conferences connected with their previous activities rather than their Government work as instructions issued in other Departments to permanent civil servants relate exclusively to invitations extended in their official capacity?

The Minister of Pensions (Sir Walter Womersley)

The hon. Member would appear to be under some misapprehension. In the case of permanent civil servants the instruction in question refers to invitations to attend outside meetings or conferences on matters of general public interest relating to the work of my Department or of the particular member of it. In my view it is reasonable that Departmental approval for the acceptance of any such invitation should be required.

Mr. Brown

Is it not the case that the instructions of the Ministry of Pensions differ from the instructions issued by other Departments, and ought that to be so?

Sir W. Womersley

I notice that the hon. Member has a Question down on the general issue for the first Sitting Day in the next series of Sitting Days, and I think we had better await the reply to that Question before going into the matter.

Mr. Brown

The point here is that I should like to ask, whatever the merits of the general instructions may be, why the orders issued to the staff of the Ministry of Pensions differ from those issued elsewhere?

Sir W. Womersley

I should have to await the reply to the hon. Member's Question before I could give that information.