§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 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.[136056]
§ Mr. Chris SmithParagraph 11 of the civil service code outlines the circumstances in which civil servants may report actions which fall under(a), (b), (c) and (d). In my Department the code is operated under the grievance/complaints procedures which are set out in the DCMS staff handbook.
Individuals making a complaint are encouraged to report the matter to their line manager and divisional head within one month of the incident or action of which they are reporting. If staff are not satisfied with their findings, they may appeal to the personnel director (in the first instance) and, ultimately, to the permanent secretary. Alternatively, staff can report the matter to the head of personnel and central services division.
If after this staff are still not satisfied with the response, they may appeal under section 12 of the civil service code to the Civil Service Commissioners.