§ Mr. Beaumont-Darkasked the Minister for the Civil Service how many retired civil servants of assistant secretary and above have joined the boards of companies on retirement since 1970; after what period of retirement; and if he will give their names.
§ Mr. ChannonThe information is not available as requested. My Department has records only of applications referred to it under the business appointments rules. A copy of these rules is available in the Library. They require senior civil servants and some others to obtain the Government's assent before accepting within two years of resignation or retirement offers of employment in business and certain other bodies.
The records available do not distinguish between offers of employment at board level and below board level. Nor, once assent has been given to an appointment, is there any obligation to inform my Department whether or when it is actually taken up. A table based on the available information is shown below. It covers the period from 1975, when the rules were last revised. It is not the practice to disclose names.
APPLICATIONS FROM HOME CIVIL SERVANTS AT ASSISTANT SECRETARY LEVEL AND ABOVE FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE UP BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS WITHIN TWO YEARS OF RESIGNATION OR RETIREMENT
Number of applications Number of officers 1975 … … 17 12 1976 … … 33 21 1977 … … 25 16 1978 … … 26 19 1979 to date … … 16 11