§ Mr. David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet prepared the regulations under section 1(5) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
§ Mr. David HuntThe Department has today sent copies of draft regulations to the local authority associations and others for comment. I have arranged for a copy of the draft to be placed in the Library of the House.
The regulations will complete the provisions to ensure that local government officers who hold politically sensitive posts are subject to restrictions to ensure that
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Hertfordshire gipsy caravans Unauthorised Authorised (local authority) Private (authorised) Total January 1980 112 129 12 253 July 1980 119 128 14 261 January 1981 107 139 14 260 July 1981 131 121 15 267 January 1982 105 122 17 244 July 1982 87 131 17 235 January 1983 107 133 12 252 July 1983 123 134 11 268 January 1984 129 142 16 287 July 1984 126 129 16 271 January 1985 128 148 17 293 July 1985 149 137 18 304 January 1986 125 172 28 325 July 1986 106 161 19 286 January 1987 104 186 31 321 July 1987 115 164 24 303 January 1988 93 190 35 318 July 1988 130 183 27 340 January 1989 89 197 41 327 July 1989 78 203 37 318 they do not undertake public political activity which are broadly comparable to those to which senior civil servants have been subject for over a century.
The Act already provides that from 1 May 1990 such local government officers will be disqualified from election as Members of the European Parliament, Members of Parliament and members of county, district and London borough councils. The regulations, when made, would ensure that a comparable range of restrictions apply to other forms of public political activity.
In general, the regulations follow the proposals in the Government's consultation paper, but changes have been made which will permit local authority officers to hold offices in political parties which are concerned solely with the internal management of the party (for example, as auditors), and which will make it clear that the restrictions do not apply in any way to the officers' official duties.
The draft regulations provide that the restrictions would apply, like the disqualifications, from 1 May 1990.