§ Lord O'HAGANasked Her Majesty's Government:
What security of re-employment is offered to British officials seconded to the Commission or Parliament of the EEC;
How many British officials have lost opportunities for promotion as a result of working for the Commission or Parliament of the EEC; and
How many former British officials they have not re-employed in the United Kingdom following secondment to the institutions of the EEC.
565WA
§ Lord PEARTBritish civil servants who with the consent of their Departments have taken up appointments with the institutions of the EEC have been given a right of reinstatement. I am not aware of any case where this undertaking has not been honoured.
While civil servants are with the EEC they are eligible to be considered for promotion in their absence according to the relevant circumstances, which will vary between individuals, groups, and levels of staff. It is not possible to compare the opportunities for promotion which are available to officers who have opted to serve with the EEC with those which might have been open to them had they not chosen to do so; but some officers have been promoted in absentia and will take up duties in the higher grade when they return from the EEC.