§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy towards bullying in the workplace by senior management personnel, with particular reference to local government officers. [163233]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe Government take the issue of bullying at work very seriously. We believe bullying is unacceptable whether by senior managers or between colleagues in any sector of industry.
This spring the Government intend to consult on a code of conduct for local administration employees. The aim of such a code would be to establish broad ethical 863W principles for all authority employees. Such a code would complement the existing model code for councillors, and could be incorporated into the conditions of service of the employees of all relevant local authorities. Among the provisions which the code could contain would be a requirement that the employee must treat others with respect.