Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria he uses to distinguish permissible trade union political campaigning by civil servants holding union office from prohibited party-political activity under the Civil Service Code.

Paragraph 4.2.9 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out that Civil Servants who are elected national, departmental, or branch representatives or officers of a recognised trade union need not seek permission before publicising union views on an official matter which, because it directly affects the conditions of service of members of the union as employees, is of legitimate concern to their members. In all other circumstances, Civil Servants who hold a trade union role should carry out their duties within the standards set out in the Civil Service Code.