Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's guidance on vetting social media accounts of potential speakers.

Civil Service Human Resources who sit within the Cabinet Office developed the Due Diligence and Impartiality guidance for all Cross-Government Diversity networks, and this requires the networks to carry out checks on external speakers prior to inviting them to participate in Civil Service events.

The revised guidance advises that cross-Government Diversity Networks conduct checks to avoid invitations being issued to individuals and/or organisations that have provided adverse commentary on government policy, political decisions, approaches or individuals in government that could undermine the Civil Service’s position on impartiality and create reputational damage.

The guidance emphasises that it is imperative that we retain impartiality across the Civil Service, avoiding any politicised events or groups impacting on the working life of civil servants and distracting from the excellent work delivered on Diversity and Inclusion.

The guidance was introduced in November 2021.

This helps to ensure when Cross-Government Diversity Networks organise events the Civil Service is not prejudiced by political views but helps deliver efficient public service for the taxpayer.