Civil Servants

14. Conflicts of interest

14.1 Civil servants may not at any time engage in, or be connected with, any outside business or activity which would in any way conflict with the interests of their Departments/Offices, or be inconsistent with their official positions, or tend to impair their ability to carry out their duties as civil servants. For this reason, civil servants intending to be engaged in or connected with any outside business or employment should inform their Personnel/Human Resources Management Section of such an intention. Whole-time civil servants whose duties are of a professional character (e.g. doctors, engineers, architects, veterinary surgeons, solicitors, etc.) must not engage in private practice in their professions. Any case in which the propriety of undertaking a particular business or occupation could reasonably be open to question must be referred by the civil servant concerned to the Secretary General or Head of Office.

14.2 Civil servants must never seek to use knowledge acquired in the performance of, or as a result of, their official duties to benefit themselves, or others with whom they have personal, family or other ties. A civil servant who, in the course of his or her official duties, comes into contact with any matter affecting any commercial undertaking in which he or she has an interest, must immediately disclose the nature and extent of that interest to the Secretary General or Head of Office. Another civil servant should in the normal course, unless the Secretary General or Head of Office considers it unnecessary, be assigned to deal with the matter.

14.3 A civil servant who experiences financial difficulties which may compromise, or be reasonably seen by others to compromise, him or her in the performance of his or her duties (e.g. through bankruptcy, or insolvency, or by incurring a significant liability to any person, financial institution or other body with whom he or she has official dealings) must report that fact to the Secretary General or Head of Office. Any such information shall be dealt with in the strictest confidence by the Department/Office and the officer concerned will be offered such assistance as is available (for example through the Employee Assistance Service) to resolve his or her difficulties.

14.4 A civil servant is not permitted to make representations on behalf of an outside association or organisation, either as an individual or as a member of a delegation, in relation to matters for which his or her Department/Office has responsibility except with the specific prior consent of the Head of his or her Department/Office.

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