Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish any internal guidance available on the use of non-disclosure agreements at his Department.

The department follows the Civil Service policy which states that non-disclosure clauses should only be used when necessary and should not be included in settlement agreements as a matter of course. Non-disclosure agreements should not seek to stifle or discourage staff from raising concerns about wrongdoing or poor practice in the department or to prevent the proper disclosure of matters of public interest, and do not affect the protection provided to employees under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. The department does not use non-disclosure agreements with its employees.