Department for Business and Trade: Disclosure of Information

(asked on 13th July 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.


Answered by
Nigel Huddleston Portrait
Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 21st July 2023

Departmental policies follow the Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy. This states that ‘everyone involved in the disciplinary process is expected to maintain confidentiality at all times – including once the process has been concluded’. Not following Departmental policy can lead to disciplinary action.

In some instances, other individuals, such as essential operational teams (Security and HR) or witnesses involved in the investigation process may need to be made aware of the name of staff who are under investigation.

This sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing/Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

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