Civil Service Business Code

Submitted by: Julian Todd

Describe your idea. How does it work and who does it help?

As it says in the Civil Service Code, it is in the public interest for civil servants to be appointed by into the private sector without being frustrated by unjustified public concern.

To manage this process, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments reviews such appointments that happen within two years of leaving the service and always imposes a three month waiting period intended to avoid the press all-too-easily alleging that the two events (the resignation and the appointment of the civil servant) are connected by any impropriety.  Although this burden imposes costs to the employer and the former civil servant whose valuable expertise is being denied to the market, it is considered a reasonable constraint in an open society which places a high premium on the integrity and impartiality of its civil service.

How do we know that three months is the appropriate time period?  It is likely that this particular waiting period was chosen without any empirical basis.  And anyway it is probable that the optimal time period changes with the varying levels of unjustified public suspicion.

Since there is virtually no corruption in the British Civil Service (as demonstrated by the fact that the Advisory Committee has never erred in recommending a waiting period or conditions that were so lenient that actual impropriety resulted), the public interest would best be served by a waiting period of one day -- were it not for the issue of unjustified public concern being raised by outside and illinformed agitators. 

We need a website that tracks job histories of all senior civil servants, as well as the private sector careers pursued following their period of government service, which takes account of the cost to the public interest by the fact that these appointments are being unnecessarily delayed.

If, according to the statistics gathered, there are a high number of appointments occurring on the 90th day following resignation, there may be a case for revising the waiting period down to 42 days at great benefit to the public interest, but balanced against a measurable increase in unjustified public concern. 

If, on the other hand, very few appointments which could possibly raise an unjustified suspicion of impropriety at any time occur within the the first year after leaving the service, there could be a public concern benefit to extending this waiting period to six months, for very little damage to the public interest.

It is important that all conflicting forces are brought into the open so that they can be balanced against one another effectively.

What information or services do you need?

* Full access to past versions of the Civil Service Year Book in database form

* Full access to lists of the boards of directors in private and partnership firms held by Companies House for cross-referencing purposes

* Live access to the database and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments relating to all cases of people whose names have appeared in the CSYB

* A working citation database of all media stories wherein unjustified suspicion of impropriety have been raised.