§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Under what terms Northern Ireland civil servants are able to obtain legal representation by the Crown for cases arising, from actions taken in the course of their duties; how these terms differ between Northern Ireland Civil Service departments; and what are the corresponding terms applicable to civil servants seconded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [HL2569]
§ Baroness AmosThe NICS policy in relation to publicly funded legal action is contained in the Staff Handbook. The policy applies to all NICS civil servants uniformly across the departments/agencies, including those seconded to the PSNI. Civil servants may be granted legal representation, or some or all of their legal costs at public expense. The decision to fund is based on the merits of an individual case and depends on the act in question being committed within the scope of the officer's employment and whether it is in the department/agencies' interests to grant assistance.