Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) internal and (b) external complaints have been received by his Department about alleged breaches of the Civil Service Code of Conduct since 2010; and what actions his Department has taken in response to each such complaint.

The Civil Service Code sets out the clear procedure that civil servants should follow if they believe they are being required to act in a way which conflicts with the Code, or they become aware of action by others which they believe conflicts with the Code. Complaints are normally dealt with by the line management chain in the first instance, with the most serious cases escalated to senior managers, HR or the Permanent Secretary. Because most issues are dealt with locally or within the line management chain, there is no formal or systematic register of all complaints within the department.

Where a Civil Servant is not satisfied with how the matter has been handled by a Department, he or she can raise the matter with the Civil Service Commission. The Commission publishes details of the number of complaints received annually.