§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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. [136058]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 2 November 2000]: The procedures for reporting such concerns are the same for each issue. Where they cannot be resolved through line management staff may report issues in confidence through someone outside the normal chain of command. For core-MAFF this is the director of Establishments; for Agency staff the appropriate Chief Executive. If, after investigation, a member of staff is not satisfied with a given response a right of appeal exists to the Permanent Secretary and beyond that to the Civil Service Commissioners.