Civil Service

All Standard Notes
16 Documents
DateDescription
20.03.2013Election 'purdah' or the pre-election period
The period of time from when an election is announced until after the election is held has been known as 'purdah' but is now more often referred to as the pre-election period. This note examines the guidance that has been issued in the past to civil servants before general and local elections, and to local authorities on their activities during the period before local elections.
13.03.2013Civil Service statistics
This note sets out statistics on Civil Service employment.
29.10.2012Civil Service Pension Scheme
Provides an overview of the development of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and current proposals for reform
07.08.2012Special advisers
This Standard Note summarises developments regarding Special Advisers since 2000.
26.07.2012Business Appointment Rules
This note explains how the rules operate which regulate the appointment of former Permanent Secretaries (and deputy secretaries) and former Ministers to posts in the private sector.
10.05.2012How the UK Government deals with EU Business
This Note looks at UK Government and Civil Service structures and culture; what happens at the UK-EU interface, and methods for transposing EU law into UK law.
23.11.2010Civil Service reform
This note outlines the Coalition Government's plans for the civil service. It also provides a very brief overview of civil service reform since 1979.
14.04.2010Remaining stages of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill 2009-10
This Note outlines the changes made to the Bill during report stage and third reading in the House of Commons, seconf reading in the Lords and during wash up.
13.01.2010Pre-election contacts between civil servants and Opposition parties
By convention, opposition parties are entitled to enter into confidential discussions with senior civil servants in the run-up to a general election. This note outlines the current arrangements and also provides a brief history of the convention.
23.09.2009Civil Service Legislation
This note sets out the Government's 2008 proposals for civil service legislation and the responses by the Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill and the Public Administration Select Committees. It also includes some details of the Bill published by the Public Administration Select committee, the Private Member's Bills introduced in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and the previous Bill published by the Government.
03.06.2009Crown Employment (Nationality) Bill 2006-07
This Private Member's Bill is due for a second reading on Friday 12 June 2009. This Note gives background to its provisions which are designed to liberalise the nationality requirements for civil servants.
20.02.2006The Civil Service Code
This Note looks at the background to the drafting of the current Civil Service Code, which was first issued in May 1996 and gives the text of the new draft code published for consultation by the Cabinet Secretary and the First Civil Service Commissioner on 26 January 2006.
26.01.2006The Lyons and Gershon Reviews and variations in Civil Service conditions
Organisational changes to the Civil Service over the past thirty years have meant that the majority of civil servants now work in Departments and Executive Agencies in which the responsibility for pay and conditions are decided locally. Uniform pay structures and conditions of service have been significantly eroded. The Government have launched major reviews into the operation of the civil service and these include the Lyons and Gershon Reviews.
04.08.2005The Osmotherly Rules
The Osmotherly Rules, as currently drafted, give guidance on the operation of the Select Committee system, and the role of officials appearing before the Committees, and the central principles of evidence giving, including a section on the limitations on the provision of evidence.
30.06.2005Civil Servants: Employment Rights
19.01.2004Changes to Government communications machinery
This note sets out the changes made to the Government Information and Communications Service at No 10 following the interim Phillis Review, published in August 2003.
All Research Papers
2 Documents
DateDescription
25.02.2010Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill: Committee stage report
There were some significant amendments during the Committee Stage of this Bill. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was given control over setting Members' pay and pensions by amendments to the Parliamentary Standard Act 2009. There is to be a new Compliance Officer to investigate alleged misuse of Members' allowances; amendments would ensure that all MPs and peers would be liable to UK taxes; there would be a referendum on whether to adopt the Alternative Vote by 31 October 2011; and a new requirement on Returning Officers to begin election counts four hours after a general election poll closes.
20.05.2003Whither the civil service?
Whither the civil service? . House of Commons Library Research Paper 03/49.
All Select Committee Reports
14 Select Committee Reports
DateDescription
06.07.2011Pre-appointment hearing for the post of Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman.
Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
06.07.2011Remuneration of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman.
Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
16.11.2010Pre-appointment hearing for the dual post of First Civil Service Commissioner and Commissioner for Public...
Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
26.07.2010Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's departments 2008-09.
Government response. Treasury report [Commons]
31.03.2010Leaks and Whistleblowing in Whitehall.
Government response. Cabinet Office; Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
18.03.2010Top Pay in the Public Sector: Further Report: incorporating the Government Response to the Committee's...
Government response. Public Administration Select Committee; Cabinet Office report [Commons]
18.03.2010Outsiders and Insiders:
Government response. Public Administration Select Committee; Cabinet Office report [Commons]
24.02.2010Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's departments 2008-09.
Treasury Select Committee report [Commons]
21.01.2010Outsiders and insiders: external appointments to the senior civil service.
Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
10.12.2009Selection of a new chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Government response. Cabinet Office; Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
26.11.2009Selection of a new chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
16.07.2009Leaks and whistleblowing in Whitehall.
Public Administration Select Committee report [Commons]
08.07.2009Assessment of the Capability Review programme.
Public Accounts Committee report [Commons]
10.02.2009Communities and Local Government's departmental annual report 2008.
Communities and Local Government Select Committee report [Commons]