HC Deb 29 November 1956 vol 561 cc556-8
15 and 16. Mr. Pitman

asked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) if he is aware that the action of the Civil Service Clerical Association in opposing the official policies of Her Majesty's Government constitutes a violation of the non-political status of civil servants; and what disciplinary action he proposes to take;

(2) whether he is aware that under Estacode the promotion prospects of all members of the Civil Service Clerical Association have been prejudiced by their action in opposing the official policies of Her Majesty's Government; whether he will bear in mind that large numbers of civil servants, being members of that union, have repeatedly dissociated themselves from the political action of the officers and executive of that union and that the great majority dissociate themselves certainly from this recent excursion into political action; and if he will temper the discipline in all such innocent cases.

Mr. H. Brooke

I understand that a further meeting of the Association is being called to review the action taken on the occasion referred to by my hon. Friend. In the circumstances I suggest that it would be wise to reserve judgment pending the outcome of that meeting.

Mr. Pitman

While gratefully welcoming the news that there will be second and, we hope, better thoughts on this, may I ask the Minister if he will bear in mind that group alignments are notoriously psychologically much more dangerous than individual alignments? Is he aware that the Masterman Committee Report, in paragraphs 75 and 78, made it quite clear that the Committee had great doubts about the desirability of associations in the Civil Service going beyond the conditions of service into matters of national controversy? Is he also aware that members, particularly of the manipulative and minor grades, have great freedom of action as citizens to engage in controversy, and that is all the more reason why they should not engage in controversy as an association?

Mr. Brooke

I appreciate that most of the members belonging to the grades of this Association enjoy freedom to take part in political activities. I have refreshed my memory of the Masterman Report, and I would say to the House that in this case, as the batsman appears to be continuing his innings, I think that the commentator had better reserve himself until he knows the final score.

Mr. Redhead

Would the Financial Secretary agree that as the law stands at the moment Civil Service trade unions, including the Civil Service Clerical Association, are perfectly free to affiliate to any political party as they desire, and, as a collective organisation, to give expression to any political view?

Mr. Brooke

It is not a question of affiliating to political parties. What the Masterman Report said was that it had been the traditional attitude of successive Governments that political activities by staff associations were best left to be governed by the sense of responsibility and propriety of the associations themselves, and we look to the associations to exercise that sense of responsibility and propriety.

Mr. Jay

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that the Government's recently insane actions have put an unprecedented strain on the discretion of the Civil Service, and surely he does not deny the right of civil servants to hold freely their own personal opinions?

Mr. Brooke

I have always in this House and elsewhere defended the Civil Service against what seemed to me unjust charges, but I would suggest to the right hon. Gentleman that we should do no good by pursuing this matter further at the present moment.