Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether benefits advisors are classified as civil servants for the purposes of the regulated period ahead of an election.

Section 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out restrictions on civil servants with regard to political activity, including examples of roles that fall into the politically restricted category. This category includes members of the Senior Civil Service and civil servants at levels immediately below the Senior Civil Service, plus members of the Fast Stream Development Programme.

A civil servant is normally defined as someone who is employed by the Crown to work for a Civil Service body.