HL Deb 22 July 2004 vol 664 cc76-7WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What restrictions are placed on senior staff at the Office of Rail Regulation and the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of future employment or legal representation in the rail industry. [HL3908]

Lord Davies of Oldham

All staff at the Office of Rail Regulation are subject to the Civil Service Management Code which among other things states that:

"The Business Appointment Rules provide for the scrutiny of appointments which former Crown servants propose to take up in the first two years after they leave the service. To provide an independent element in the process of scrutiny, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is appointed by the Prime Minister, comprising people with experience of the relationships between the Civil Service and the private sector. The Committee gives advice on applications at the most senior levels".

The Strategic Rail Authority's senior executive contract requires staff to abide by its business appointment rules. These include an approval process which applies to staff proposing to take up an appointment covered by the rules within six months of leaving the SRA.