Vetting Social Media Accounts Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Vetting Social Media Accounts

Lord Watts Excerpts
Wednesday 21st June 2023

(10 months, 3 weeks ago)

Lords Chamber
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Baroness Neville-Rolfe Portrait Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)
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I very much agree with my noble friend; we need to do exactly that. Civil servants need the ability to listen to different points of view and to serve the Government, whatever their political persuasion, to the best of their ability and in a way that maintains political impartiality. I think that is agreed ground across the House.

Lord Watts Portrait Lord Watts (Lab)
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My Lords, how can the Minister have had a review in her department if it does not keep the data required to do that review?

Baroness Neville-Rolfe Portrait Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)
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The HR people group within the Cabinet Office produces different guidance on different things. It has a network in which people regularly discuss how things are operating. The guidance I referred to was considered as part of that process in February. It is available in the Library of the House, if noble Lords want to look at it, as the noble Baroness has obviously done. It is a good thing that it is publicly available.