HC Deb 29 January 1998 vol 305 cc343-4W
Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions his Department has consulted competitors of an employer making an offer of employment to an official from his Department, for the purpose of compliance with the Civil Service Management Code rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown servants, in each year for which the rules have applied; and if he will make a statement. [25862]

Mr. Straw

Since the introduction of the revised Business Appointment Rules with effect from 1 April 1996, there has been no occasion for the Department to consult competitor companies in these circumstances. Information for each of the years preceding for which the rules have applied could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Deparment if he will publish the information collected for the purpose of compliance with the Civil Service Management Code rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown Servants, in each year for which the rules have applied; and if he will make a statement. [25896]

Mr. Straw

Since 1 April 1996, when the Business Appointment Rules in their current form came into effect, 24 members of staff across the Department and its agencies have reported offers of employment. These resulted in 19 applications for approval under the Rules.

Staff are made aware, on appointment, of their obligations under the Business Appointment Rules and again, on leaving. General reminders are issued from time to time but it is the responsibility of the individual to comply with the requirements.

There is no fully effective comprehensive mechanism for monitoring compliance with the Rules once individuals have left Crown employment. The emphasis is on ensuring that staff are fully aware of their obligations under the Rules before they leave, and on giving the individual the opportunity to discuss the matter and, if they wish, to make representations in cases where conditions are imposed.

Any failure to comply with the Rules could come to the Department's notice in any number of ways. Any condition which prohibits a former member of staff from dealing with the Department on behalf of an outside employer would, of course, be monitored.