§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance, other than the civil service pay and conditions of service code and the establishment officers' guide, his Department provides relating to civil servants' shareholdings; if he will list the number of occasions within the last five years on which civil servants have reported shareholdings to establishment officers in his Department; what regulations apply to the staff of the next steps agencies within his Department; what mechanisms are in place to prevent potential conflicts of interest; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AitkenThe rules of conduct governing share ownership are set out in departmental standing instructions available to both industrial and non-industrial staff. These make it clear that there is to be no conflict of interest between private and official interests.
My Department's next steps agencies are subject to these same rules.