§ Mr. Meacherasked the Prime Minister what rules apply to public servants in respect of involvement with projects in which a spouse or close relative are directly interested; and whether any rules apply in such circumstances to public servants resigning from the public service and subsequently taking a direct interest in the same project.
§ The Prime MinisterIt is a fundamental principle of the rules which govern these matters in the civil service that civil servants must not subordinate their duty to their private interests; neither are they to put themselves in a position where their duty and their private interest conflict168W and they must not make use of their offical position to further those interests. Moreover an officer who comes into official contact with any matter concerning a business organisation in which he has an interest must disclose his interest to his department. Subject to this there are no specific restrictions on the outside business interests of civil servants. It is the implicit and well understood assumption that private interests may incude those of a spouse. The rules which are especially relevant are at paragraph 9870 9874 and 9876 of the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, a copy of which is in the Library. A civil servant is also subject to the rules governing the acceptance of outside business appointments by Crown servants. A copy of these rules is also available in the Library.