Diplomatic Service: Conditions of Employment
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Diplomatic Service’s policies are regarding intimate relationships between colleagues; whether (a) junior and (b) senior civil servants are permitted to enter into sexual relationships with co-workers; what requirements exist to declare such relationships where there is a reporting line or managerial responsibility; and what guidance is issued under the diplomatic service code regarding potential conflicts of interest arising from workplace relationships.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
All Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff are subject to the Civil Service Code. It is for their managers to determine whether an individual's conduct meets, or falls short of, the standards of behaviour and integrity set out in the Code, and to put appropriate arrangements in place when a personal relationship could create a real or perceived conflict of interest.
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