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Copy No.31

CABINET

POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF CIVIL SERVANTS

MEMORANDUM BY THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

The Cabinet agreed on 5th February, 1948 (C.M. (48) 11th Conclusions, Minute 7), that a Committee should be set up to consider the political activities of Civil Servants. Their report has been received and a copy is attached. The Committee's recommendations are summarised on pages 30-32.

The Committee recommend one big change, namely, that complete freedom in political activities should be granted to the Post Office Manipulative grades (207,000), to other Minor and Manipulative grades (50,000) and also to all industrials (ie., another 200,000 in addition to those in the Service Departments who already have this freedom). For the most part, however, the Committee's report is devoted to bringing the existing rules and practice up to date and codifying them in a form appropriate to present-day conditions.

In my view the report is a good and sensible document. Moreover, it is unanimous (save on one very small point) and it comes from a strong and impartial Committee representing all shades of political opinion. No doubt there are some who would wish that the Committee had gone further on certain points. But in my view the Government should decide either to adopt the report as a whole as it stands or to reject it. My recommendation to my colleagues is that the report should be accepted.

I also recommend that the report should be published and that the Govern- ment should state at the time of publication that they have decided to accept its recommendations.

Treasury Chambers, S.W. 1,

31st May, 1949.

R. S. C.

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