Defining the boundaries within the executive - 8 April 2003

The FDA today warmly welcomed the ninth report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Defining the Boundaries within the Executive: Ministers, Special Advisers and the Permanent Civil Service. FDA general secretary Jonathan Baume said: "this is an excellent report that succinctly identifies the problems and offers robust solutions".

He went on to say: "The civil service welcomes constructive change to enhance its role in delivering key public services, but this must not be at the expense of the core values of the civil service - integrity, impartiality, propriety and selection on merit.

"The FDA would be extremely concerned if the government did not accept the main body of the recommendations forthwith.

"We are particularly pleased at the report's clear support for a Civil Service Act and also its reinforcement of the role of the Civil Service Commission to ensure that recruitment procedures are transparent, based on merit and free from favouritism."

Ends

Notes for Editors
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