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Civil Servants
17. Hospitality
17.1 It is impossible to lay down definite rules covering the acceptance of hospitality in all circumstances. The overriding concern is that all actions of civil servants in carrying out their official duties be above suspicion and not give rise to any actual or potential conflict of interest, and that their dealings with commercial and other interests should bear the closest possible scrutiny. It is accepted that civil servants should not be put in a position where they cannot accept what are regarded as normal courtesies in business relationships. However, in their contacts with outside organisations or persons, every care must be taken by civil servants to ensure that their acceptance of hospitality does not influence them, and could not reasonably be seen to influence them, in discharging their official functions.
17.2 The following general guidelines provide a framework within which decisions in this area can be made or local rules formulated. Departments/Offices may apply these rules on hospitality or make local rules derived from them.
- All offers of hospitality from commercial interests which have or might have contractual relations with the Department/Office of the civil servant to whom the offer is made must be reported by that civil servant to his or her manager for direction.
- No objection would normally be made to the acceptance of what is regarded as routine hospitality, for example, a business lunch. What may be regarded as “routine” for this purpose will depend on a number of factors such as the value of the hospitality offered, the frequency of offers, whether there is an element of reciprocity and the general circumstances in which it is offered (for example, whether it is offered by a company to all its customers or is directed at specific or potential customers). Certain types of hospitality (for example involving travelling abroad or holiday weekends) should not be regarded as routine and should always be referred to the superior of the civil servant for direction. Heads of Departments/Offices are recommended to issue guidelines to their own staff having regard to the offers of hospitality which are commonly made to staff in their Departments/Offices.
- Civil servants should not accept offers of hospitality which go beyond the routine practices referred to above, except where acceptance of such an offer can be clearly shown to be in the interest of the Department/Office and has been approved by the manager of the civil servant.
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