§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Prime Minister (1) if he will list all the public servants and senior civil servants appointed by him or on his recommendation and indicate which have requested permission to (a) make political speeches and (b) write memoirs or other documents requiring access to official material during the past two years;
(2) which public servants or civil servants appointed by him or on his recommendation are entitled to make political speeches; and if he will define the limits of such activities.
§ The Prime MinisterAs regards the appointment of senior civil servants I would refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) on 2nd March. Such civil servants are not permitted to make political speeches nor write memoirs requiring reference to official documents. There is a well understood convention that all other senior public servants, whether or not appointed by me, exercise a proper discretion in these matters and abstain from controversial political activity.