Baroness Hayman
Main Page: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Hayman's debates with the Cabinet Office
(1 year, 6 months ago)
Lords ChamberI entirely agree with my noble friend. The balance between free speech and Civil Service impartiality is exactly what we are trying to strike.
My Lords, I am slightly confused. I am no expert on this issue, but am I right in interpreting the noble Baroness as saying that the guidelines in the Library apply only to cross-departmental diversity networks, that diversity network events in a single department are not subject to these guidelines and that a department could decide not to follow them for its internal activities?
The guidelines apply to cross-government diversity networks and they should follow the guidelines, although, obviously, there can be local interpretation.