Oral Answers to Questions

Elliot Colburn Excerpts

Thursday 11th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

9. What steps his Department is taking to protect civil service impartiality; and if he will make a statement.

[Elliot Colburn (Carshalton and Wallington) (Con)]

10. What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the civil service code and complaints procedure are effective.

[Duncan Baker (North Norfolk) (Con)]

17. What steps his Department is taking to help ensure impartiality and neutrality are maintained in relevant areas of public life.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jeremy Quin]

It is, I believe, wholly unprecedented. It is particularly important that permanent secretaries, of all people, should conduct themselves in a way such that the impartiality of the civil service cannot be called into question. We should all support them in doing so. My right hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Oliver Dowden) updated the House through a written ministerial statement, and I can assure my hon. Friend that consideration of this issue continues.

[Elliot Colburn]

The principle of civil service impartiality is important to my constituents in Carshalton and Wallington, and indeed to many other Members’ constituents. I was therefore surprised to receive a set of trolling emails from someone using their civil service email address. Could the Minister outline whether that is acceptable, and—following up on the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant)—what reputational damage does he believe has been done by the actions of the Labour party?

[Jeremy Quin]

The rules, which I have already set out, along with the fundamental principle that civil servants do not take actions that could lead to their impartiality being questioned by an incumbent Administration—or any future Administration, for that matter—are well known to current permanent secretaries, I am certain. I am sure that is also the case for ex-permanent secretaries, which of course includes the Leader of the Opposition. As I have said, in this House we all have a role in protecting the impartiality and perceived impartiality of the civil service. On my hon. Friend’s specific point, if he shares more details with me, I will happily look into it. It is very important that the impartiality of the civil service is maintained at every level.