HC Deb 21 July 1997 vol 298 c390W
Ms Hodge

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what will be the role of civil servants in the referendum campaigns on devolution. [10247]

Mr. Kilfoyle

The Government have today issued guidance to civil servants on their role and conduct during the devolution referendum campaigns. The guidance provides a generic set of principles which individual Departments can incorporate into guidance tailored to their particular needs and situations. It stresses that civil servants should conduct themselves in accordance with the civil service code, and is based on the need to maintain the political impartiality of the civil service and to ensure that public resources are not used for party political purposes. Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Libraries of the House, and are also available from the Vote Office.