CIVIL SERVICE RULES ON POLITICS

Chronicle (Levin), 9 January 1948, Page 5

CIVIL SERVICE RULES ON POLITICS

Reeeived Thursday, 7 fh™LONDON, Jaq. 8. Representatives of the British civi! service unions will shortly ineet Sir Stafford Qripps and reqaest the relaxa tion of present, civil service rqles. governing the partieipation of eivil servants iu local qnd national politics, At present the various Ministries ap pear to interpret the regulation ditferently. For instanee, although tho Ministry of Labour will not permit any rnember of its staff to take any part in local body politics, the ilinistry of Food and Post Office Department. rqise no objections sq long as the Miuister is tirst advised. Theoretically all British civil servants are debarred from taking pjart in any forin of politics but iii practice this is' beiitg liberally, if diverselv, interpreted. A, civil servant standing for Parliament " need not now resign unless he is electecl wlrereas previously he was forced to dq that as soou as he was adopted-as a Parliamentary caudidate. It is recpgnised that if civil servants are permitted to enter Parliament and still retain civil service employment. anomalies are bound to arise but the unions eontend that their members can, be relied upon to exercise commpnsense in suoh a situation- The delegation whieh will wait upon Sir Stafford Cripps will nrgc that, in addition to a general relaxation jierputting civil servants to engage iu both national and loeab b,o,dy poiitics, the regulafions governing such partieipation should be made. uniform and intepreted consistently by qll departments.