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Civil Service Commission (United Kingdom)#Civil Service Code

{{Short description|UK government body}}

The Civil Service Commission regulates recruitment to the United Kingdom Civil Service, providing assurance that appointments are on merit after fair and open competition, and hears appeals under the Civil Service Code. The commission is independent of government and the Civil Service.

The Civil Service Commission was established by Gladstone through an order in council on 21 May 1855{{London Gazette|date=22 May 1855|issue=21717|page=1961}} following the publication of the Northcote–Trevelyan Report by Charles Trevelyan and Stafford Northcote that advocated the decoupling of appointments of senior civil servants from ministers to ensure the impartiality of the Civil Service.{{cite news | last =Walker | first =David | title = Fair game| work=The Guardian | date = 2003-07-09| url =https://www.theguardian.com/society/2003/jul/09/publicsector.guardiansocietysupplement | accessdate =2003-07-09 | location=London}}

Following a report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, "Defining the Boundaries within the Executive: Ministers, special advisers and the permanent Civil Service" in 2003, the appointment of the First Civil Service Commissioner is made by Government after consultation with the leaders of the main opposition parties.{{cite press release|title=Government publishes response to the ninth report of the committee on standards in public life |publisher=10 Downing Street |date=2003-09-11 |url=http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page4447.asp |accessdate=2008-02-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611003421/http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page4447.asp |archive-date=2007-06-11 }} They are then appointed by the King under royal prerogative. The First Civil Service Commissioner is appointed for a fixed term of five years, although another commissioner may act as an interim First Commissioner when necessary.

Civil Service Code

The Civil Service Code is a set of regulations that govern the conduct of civil servants in the UK.{{Cite web|url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/civil-service-code|title=Civil Service Code|date=22 January 2021|website=Institute for Government}} The regulations are broadly based on the Seven Principles of Public Life.{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilservicecollege.org.uk/news-7-rules-for-public-life-the-nolan-principles-in-2024-551|title=7 Rules for (Public) Life: The Nolan Principles in 2024|date=9 February 2024|website=Civil Service College}} First introduced in 2006 and later updated in 2015, the code has four main principles that public sector workers must be held accountable to: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

List of First Civil Service Commissioners

  • Sir Edward Ryan (1855–75)
  • John Pakington, 1st Baron Hampton (1875–1880){{cite ODNB| last =Chilcott| first =Paul | title =Pakington , John Somerset, first Baron Hampton (1799–1880) | date =2004 | doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/21149 | url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21149| accessdate =2008-02-03 }}
  • George Byng, Viscount Enfield (later 3rd Earl of Strafford) (1880–88)
  • ...
  • William Courthope (1892–1907){{cite book| last =Chapman | first =Richard A | title =The Civil Service Commission, 1855–1991: A Bureau Biography | publisher =Routledge | date =2004 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=VCzEXXC1SzIC&q=%22First+Civil+Service+Commissioner%22&pg=PA176 | isbn =0-7146-5340-3| page =107 }}
  • Lord Francis Hervey (1907-1909){{cite web| title =Order-in-Council dated 12 August 1907. Appointment of Lord Francis Hervey as First Commissioner ...| publisher =The National Archives | url =http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=7&CATID=-109764 | accessdate =2008-02-03 }}{{cite news | title =Civil Service Commission| pages = 7 | work=The Times | date =August 8, 1907 }}
  • Sir Stanley Leathes (1910–1927){{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/34458|title=Leathes, Sir Stanley Mordaunt (1861–1938)|last1=Dampier|first1=W. C. D|first2=H. C. G., Rev. |last2=Matthew|editor1-first=H. C. G|editor1-last=Matthew|date=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34458|accessdate=2008-07-17}}
  • Sir Roderick Meiklejohn, KBE CB (1927–1939){{cite news | title =First Civil Service Commissioner| pages = 12 | work=The Times | date =November 12, 1927 }}
  • Sir Percival Waterfield (1939–1951){{cite ODNB| last =Chapman| first =Richard A| title =Waterfield, Sir (Alexander) Percival (1888–1965)| date =2004 | doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/66876| url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/66876| accessdate =2008-02-03 }}
  • Sir Paul Sinker (1951–1954){{cite ODNB| last =Lee| first =J M| title =Sinker, Sir (Algernon) Paul (1905–1977)| date =2004 | doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/64548| url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/64548| accessdate =2008-02-03 }}
  • Laurence Helsby, Baron Helsby (1954–1959){{cite ODNB| last =Caulcott | first =Tom | title =Helsby, Laurence Norman, Baron Helsby (1908–1978) | date =2004 | doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/66857 | url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/66857| accessdate =2008-02-03 }}
  • Sir George Mallaby (1959–1964){{cite ODNB| last =Gittings| first =Robert | title =Mallaby, Sir (Howard) George Charles (1902–1978) | date =2004 | doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/31402 | url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31402| accessdate =2008-02-03 }}
  • Sir George Abell (1964-1967){{cite ODNB| last =Ellis | first =Roger | title =Abell, Sir George Edmond Brackenbury (1904–1989)| date =2004 | doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/39894 | url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/39894 | accessdate =2008-02-03 }}
  • John Hunt (1967–1971){{cite news | title =First Civil Service Commissioner| pages = 2 | work=The Times | date =September 21, 1967 }}{{cite news | title =Three appointments are made at the Treasury| pages = 18 | work=The Times | date =February 25, 1971 }}
  • K. H. Clucas (1971–1974)
  • Dr Fergus Allen (1974–1981){{cite news | title =Commissioner named | pages = 18 | work=The Times | date =January 25, 1974}}
  • Angus Fraser (1981–1983){{cite news|title=Obituary: Sir Angus Fraser|date=July 18, 2001 |work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-angus-fraser-729244.html|accessdate=2008-07-18 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
  • Dennis Trevelyan (1983–1989){{cite news | title =Prison service head to recruit civil servants| pages = 3 | work=The Times | date =March 5, 1983 }}
  • John Holroyd (1989–1993){{cite news | last =Hughes| first =Colin| title =Parliament and Politics: New civil service key player| pages = 8:Home News | work=The Independent| date =March 24, 1989 }}
  • Dame Ann Bowtell (1993–1995){{cite news|title=Woman takes top job – Ann Elizabeth Bowtell|date=February 12, 1993|work=The Times|pages=2}}
  • Sir Michael Bett (1995–2000){{cite news|title=Most civil servant – Michael Bett|date=March 16, 1995 |work=The Times}}
  • Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar (2000–2005){{cite news | title =Baroness Prashar appointed first Civil Service Commissioner. | publisher =M2 Presswire | date =2000-04-19 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5243/is_200004/ai_n20046783| accessdate =2008-02-02 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}
  • Janet Paraskeva (2006–2010){{cite news | title =Law Society chief named new First Civil Service Commissioner | work =Personnel Today | publisher =Reed Business Information | date =2005-12-22 | url =http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2005/12/22/33179/law-society-chief-named-new-first-civil-service-commissioner.html | accessdate =2008-02-02 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110718094430/http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2005/12/22/33179/law-society-chief-named-new-first-civil-service-commissioner.html | archive-date =2011-07-18 | url-status =dead }}
  • Mark Addison (2011) (Interim){{cite news|title=Letter from Cabinet Office|date=December 21, 2010 | url = http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/public-administration/Cabinet-Office-2010-12-22-153420.pdf | accessdate =2016-04-04}}
  • Sir David Normington (2011–2016)
  • Kathryn Bishop (2016) (Interim)
  • Ian Watmore (2016–2021)
  • Rosie Glazebrook (2021) (Interim)
  • Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (2022 -

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book| last =Chapman | first =Richard A | title =The Civil Service Commission, 1855–1991 : From Patronage to Proficiency | publisher =Frank Cass | date =2004 | location =London | isbn =978-0-7146-5340-2 | oclc =56457389 }}

External links

  • [http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/ Office of the Civil Service Commissioners]

{{Cabinet Office}}

Category:Civil Service (United Kingdom)

Category:National civil service commissions

Category:1855 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Government recruitment