§ Mr. P. Williamsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for increasing interchange between the administrative class of the Civil Service and other employment.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI have approved arrangements whereby the Civil Service Commission will seek to recruit, by open competition, up to six Principals a year for the Home Civil Service between the ages of 30 and 35 Candidates will50W be required to have held a responsible post in industry or commerce, or at a university, or in some professional field. A knowledge of economic, industrial, commercial or financial matters, or a scientific or technological education, will be an advantage. The standard for acceptance will be high. The Commissioners will also seek to recruit up to three Assistant Secretaries each year, between the ages of 40 and 45. They will look for men or women who can bring specialised experience into the Service.
A change is also to be made in the arrangements for leaving the Civil Service. Civil Servants aged 50 or more already have a statutory right to resign without loss of accrued pension rights. Henceforth, this will also be possible for members of the Higher Civil Service under 50 who leave, with their Departments' consent, to go into private industry or commerce. For this purpose the Higher Civil Service means Assistant Secretaries and higher grades, with their equivalents in all classes of the Service. In deciding whether consent can be given, Departments will have regard to the needs of the service and to the rules laid down in the White Paper (Cmd. 5517) of 1937, and the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the then Prime Minister on 5th February, 1963, relating to the acceptance of business appointments by officers of the Crown Services.
These arrangements have been agreed with the Staff Side of the Civil Service National Whitley Council.