§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance, other than the civil service pay and conditions of service code and the establishment officers' guide, her Department provides relating to civil servants' shareholdings; if she will list the number of occasions within the last five years on which civil servants have reported shareholdings to establishment officers in her Department; what regulations apply to the staff of the next steps agencies within her Department; what mechanisms are in place to prevent potential conflicts of interest; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Department's staff rules place a duty on every member of staff who comes into contact with a matter concerning a business organisation in which he or she has an interest, including shareholdings, to disclose that interest to his or her senior manager and to ask that some other official deal with the matter. Staff rules are given to and apply to all civil servants working in the Department, including its agencies. Individuals and their managers are expected to consult the Department's establishment officer about the desirability of acquiring or retaining shares where this might give rise to a potential conflict of interest. The Department's establishment officer has been consulted on such matters on two occasions since the Department separated from the former Department of Health and Social Security.