As Stormont returns from the summer recess and the approach of the May election leads to an increasingly febrile political atmosphere, Murtagh’s letter to the Speaker called on MLAs to “keep civil servants out of the political crossfire”.
Murtagh acknowledged that while MLAs have a vital duty to scrutinise the work of departments and officials at committee hearings, “there is a deep concern that the conduct of some MLAs goes beyond scrutiny, with criticism that is both personal and insulting”.
This has included baseless accusations that officials have lied to committees and breached their code of ethics, instances of MLAs joining calls from lobbying organisations for officials to resign, and MLAs asking officials inappropriate, inherently political questions. Murtagh stressed:
“It is important for MLAs to remember that officials do not appear before committees to be political spokespeople for their Minister…they should not be expected to answer questions that would undermine their impartiality.”
The FDA welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Speaker to discuss this crucial matter in further detail.
In an opinion piece for Belfast Live, Murtagh further emphasised that the duty to uphold the impartiality of the civil service is not the responsibility of officials alone.
Ministers and MLAs also share in this obligation, “and this starts by respecting the role of civil servants and ensuring scrutiny and accountability is proportionate, evidence-based and balanced”.
Stressing his concern that, in the run-up to the May election, “the febrile political atmosphere that is likely to continue or get worse will see officials caught in the middle”, Murtagh was clear that “if we want government to even have a chance of succeeding between now and May, we must keep civil servants out of the political crossfire.”
Ultimately, the FDA’s position is clear: “the impartiality of the civil service must not become collateral damage in a rising political temperature.”
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