House of Commons - Lessons for Civil Service impartiality from the Scottish independence referendum

Public Administration - Fifth Report
Lessons for Civil Service impartiality from the Scottish independence referendum

Here you can browse the report together with the Proceedings of the Committee. The published report was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 17 March 2015.

Contents

Terms of Reference

Summary

1 Introduction

Background

Tensions highlighted by the Scottish referendum

Scope of the inquiry

2 Serving two masters: a unified Civil Service

Background

History

Devolved Government, unified Civil Service

Is the Civil Service still unified?

3 Lessons from the referendum

Background

Acting with impartiality?

Impartiality and politicisation

Impartiality or neutrality?

Maintaining impartiality

White Paper: Scotland's Future

Impartiality and the publication of advice to ministers

4 Guiding the Civil Service through a referendum

The Civil Service Code

Revising the guidance

5 Special Advisers and political campaigning

Background

The role of Special Advisers and campaigning in by-elections

Conclusions and recommendations

Annex: Revision to the Civil Service Code

Proposed new paragraph 16

Appendix: Advice from Speaker's Counsel

Special Advisers' Code of Conduct

Formal Minutes

Witnesses

Published written evidence

List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament