Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) the Permanent Secretary in his Department has written to any civil servants on external remunerated appointments since 1 April 2021.

On 23 April, the Cabinet Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the management of outside interests in the Civil Service. The Committee published this letter on 26 April and it can be found online at https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/5623/documents/55584/default/. The Cabinet Secretary's letter sets out a series of steps to improve processes. This programme of work will also take account of any recommendations that emerge from Nigel Boardman's review.

The Civil Service Management Code sets out, at paragraph 4.3.4, the requirement that civil servants must seek permission before accepting any outside employment which might affect their work either directly or indirectly. The applicable principles are those set out in the Business Appointment Rules. The Civil Service Management Code is published at www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-servants-terms-and-conditions. The Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO has not written to highlight this guidance specifically in April 2021.

Where the civil servant is a member of the departmental board any outside employment, as well as other relevant interests will be published as part of the Annual Report and Accounts or other transparency publication.