HC Deb 02 November 2000 vol 355 c572W
Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what procedures exist in his Department for a civil servant to report actions which(a) are illegal, improper or unethical, (b) are in breach of constitutional convention or a professional code, (c) may involve possible maladministration and (d) are otherwise inconsistent with the Civil Service Code. [136055]

Mr. Rooker

The Department actively encourages its staff to report any concerns they have about possible wrongdoing, and has in place a range of procedures to enable them to do so.

From the end of this month we are establishing a dedicated Whistleblowers Hotline to enable staff to report wrongdoing along the lines of the Public Interest Disclosure Act

Additionally where a departmental civil servant has reported a concern but does not feel they have had an adequate response, then they can of course have recourse to the Civil Service Commissioners.

If the hon. Member has a particular concern perhaps he will write to me.