CAB129-35 — Page 191

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Chairman: Mr. J. C. Masterman, O.B.E.

Members:

General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, Bt., G.C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E.

The Hon. Sir Edward Cadogan, K.B.E., C.B.

Mr. William Cash, Junior.

Mr. D. N. Chester.

Dame Myra Curtis, D.B.E.

The Rt. Hon. Sir Richard V. Nind Hopkins, G.C.B.

Sir Miles Mitchell, J.P.

Sir John W. Stephenson, C.B.E., J.P.*

The Rt. Hon. H. Graham White.

Secretary: Mr. F. C. Newton.

(*Appointed in the place of the Lord Dukeston who died before the first meeting of the

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REPORT

To the Rt. Hon. Sl? sido Cripps, K.C., M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer.

87

I. INTRODUCTION

1. In reply to a Parliamentary Question by Mr. H. E. Randall, M.P., on the 25th February, 1948, asking you whether you had considered the repre- sentations made by the staff side of the National Whitley Council on political activities by civil servants, and whether you had any statement to make, you said:-

"Yes. The Government recognise that there is a case for considering whether the present rules require modification. But in a difficult and controversial question of this nature they wish to have the advice of an independent body of opinion and I propose therefore to set up a Committee for this purpose with the following terms of reference:-

"To examine the existing limitations on the political activities (both national and local) which may be undertaken by civilian Government staffs, and to make recommendations as to any changes which may be desirable in the public interest '.'

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2. You announced the membership of the Committee in the House of Commons on the 14th April, 1948. In inviting us to serve, you told us that, whilst the Government agreed that there was a case for investigation, they would be totally opposed to any radical change in the non-political status of the Civil Service. We were subsequently given to understand that the phrase "civilian Government staffs" in our terms of reference was to be interpreted as meaning the Civil Service; we have accordingly confined our enquiry within that limit, and have not touched upon the position of the staffs of the nationalised industries nor of the local government service. For the purposes of our task, we have worked on the basis of the definition of civil servants adopted by the Royal Commission on the Civil Service (1929-31) (the Tomlin Commission "), namely "those servants of the Crown, other than holders of political or judicial offices, who are employed in a civil capacity, and whose remuneration is paid wholly and directly out of monies voted by Parliament."

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3. The political activities with which we have concerned ourselves, as will appear later in the Report, may be briefly summarised under the following headings:

(1) Parliamentary candidature and service;

(2) Other political activities in the national field, both party and non- party in character, by

(a) individual civil servants;

(b) members of Civil Service staff associations;

(3) Participation in local government, especially membership of local councils.

4. We had our first meeting at the Treasury on the 18th May, 1948, and have held fifteen full-day sessions since that date. At the outset we issued a press notice inviting evidence from anyone who desired to give it. In the course of our sessions, we have heard oral evidence from a number of wit- nesses, including ex-Ministers who have been members of the Civil Service. Heads of Departments, representatives of Civil Service staff associations,