Conduct Guidance: Northern Ireland Election

Wednesday 25th January 2017 Written Statements

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Ben Gummer)]

As is normal ahead of an election, guidance has today been issued for civil servants in UK Government Departments and those working in arm’s-length bodies, on the principles that they should observe in relation to the conduct of Government business in the run-up to the forthcoming elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 March 2017.

The guidance sets out the need to maintain the political impartiality of the civil service and the need to ensure that public resources are not used for party political purposes during this period. The period of sensitivity begins with immediate effect.

Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Cabinet Office website at: www.gov.uk.

[HCWS435]