HC Deb 15 December 1942 vol 385 cc1755-7
48. Mr. William Brown

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why a direction was issued by the Treasury to heads of Departments relating to invitations received by members of their staffs to attend outside meetings or conferences; and why temporary civil servants are now required to obtain approval from higher authority prior to accepting invitations extended to them in their personal capacities to attend conferences connected rather with their outside experience or previous activities than with their work in the Government service?

54. Mr. Brooke

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions have recently been issued imposing new restrictions on permanent or temporary civil servants with regard to their attendance at public meetings or conferences?

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Kingsley Wood)

I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a copy of a letter which was sent by the Treasury to Heads of Departments on 15th October last. My hon. Friends, when they have studied the terms of that letter, will see that far from imposing new restrictions for civil servants, it was designed to give Departments greater latitude in allowing members of their staff to attend discussions on matters bearing on their official work. It was not, of course, intended that civil servants, whether permanent or temporary, should be required to seek permission to attend conferences not concerned with the work of Government, nor was there any intention of affecting the ordinary right of civil servants, as citizens, to attend open public meetings as distinct from conferences where general discussion would take place.

Mr. Browns

Will the right hon. Gentleman take steps to convey this information to the heads of all Departments?

Sir K. Wood

Yes, Sir.

Following is the letter:

"Treasury Chambers,

Great George Street, S.W.I.

15th October, 1942.

My dear—,

Ministers have recently had under consideration the question of invitations to individual civil servants, or suggestions that Departments should nominate representatives, to attend outside conferences on matters of general public interest relating to the work of the particular individual or Department concerned.

Hitherto there has been no uniform rule or practice in this matter. In certain instances when the Treasury view has been sought, we have considered that permission to attend such conferences should be refused. The basis for this attitude was that it was thought undesirable for officials to be in a position in which they might appear to be speaking for their Departments on possibly controversial or political issues within the province of their Ministers.

As against this, it is felt that in many cases both individual civil servants and Departments have much to gain from attendance at authoritative discussions held by responsible bodies on questions with which Departments are called upon to deal. Ministers are impressed with the cogency of this argument and are agreeable to a general practice framed on the following lines.

In the case of conferences convened by or under the ægis of political organisations, civil servants should not accept invitations in their official capacity. There may, however, be other conferences at which, although the subjects to be discussed have a political or controversial aspect, it is considered desirable in the public interest that a Department should be represented by an observer. In such cases civil servants may accept invitations with the approval of the Head of the Department, but they should take no part in the proceedings. In the case of conferences which do not possess a political character it is considered that the attendance of civil servants may properly be permitted, provided that the Head of the Department is satisfied both as to the character of the conference and as to the advantage likely to accrue to the Department. In these cases too, civil servants should normally attend as observers only, but there may be some classes of case in which the Head of the Department will feel justified in authorising a member of his Department to take part in discussions, though, as a rule, only to the extent of intervening on questions of fact. In general, civil servants attending conferences should so conduct themselves that there is no ground whatever for an assertion to be made or an impression to be gained that their Department has been associated with the conclusions reached in the discussions.

The foregoing relates both to permanent and to temporary civil servants who receive invitations to conferences in their official capacity. In addition, however, there may well be cases where temporary civil servants receive invitations connected rather with their outside experience or previous activities than with their work in the Government service. Here, too, the prior consent of the Head of the Department should be sought, but it is thought that, subject always to the exigencies of official business, consent may readily be given. More latitude may also be allowed in such cases regarding participation in discussions, but it should always be made clear that the individuals concerned are acting in their private capacity, and they will no doubt, particularly if the conference touches on political subjects, conduct themselves with proper discretion, and they should be on their guard against expressing views which might be interpreted as being based on official information or as representing Government policy or programmes.

It will be recalled that the enclosure to Treasury Circular No. 5/28, which applies both to permanent and to temporary civil servants, says among other things that there are spheres of activity legitimately open to the ordinary citizens in which the civil servant can play no part, or only a limited part. He is not to indulge in political or party controversy, lest by so doing he should appear no longer the disinterested adviser of Ministers or able impartially to execute their policy. He is bound to maintain a proper reticence in discussing public affairs and more particularly those with which his own Department is concerned. These principles afford a general guide to the manner of participation by civil servants in conferences of all types.

Yours sincerely,

R. V. N. HOPKINS."