Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff previously working for (1) the Labour Party, (2) Labour Together, and (3) Labour Parliamentarians, have been recruited without open and fair competition to the Civil Service since the general election, other than as special advisers.

Data on the work history of those appointed into the Civil Service is not routinely collated.

Previous political activity does not preclude appointment into the Civil Service. All Civil Servants are expected to support the government of the day in accordance with the values of the Civil Service Code, including impartiality. Routine recruitment processes are in place to allow candidates to declare any potential conflicts of interest, and to discuss how these should be handled.

Where appointments are made by exception to the principle of fair and open competition, the employing department must be satisfied that the use of the relevant exceptions route is justified and that the individuals in question can uphold the Civil Service Code values.