Civil Service

I was just coming to the hon. Gentleman, who revealed his ambition to be a special adviser. [Interruption.] Yes, I could offer him a job, as my right hon. Friend the Minister suggests, but I do not think that the kind of advice that he would give us would be that helpful. The hon. Gentleman said that even if he cannot become a special adviser, he would like to meet one. All that he needs to do is have a word with his leader. The hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) reminded the House that the Leader of the Opposition used to be a special adviser. Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition would like to remind the hon. Member for Broxbourne (Mr. Walker) of the shadowy role that he played as a special adviser to Norman Lamont, when the Tory debacle of crashing out of the exchange rate mechanism happened in the 1990s. The Opposition have conveniently forgotten that, but believe you me, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have not. The hon. Gentleman also asked what happens to special advisers when they leave the civil service. He will be pleased to know that the ““Code of Conduct for Special Advisers”” says:"““All civil servants, including special advisers, are subject to the Rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown servants…for the first two years after leaving office. They are required, in the circumstances set out in the rules, to obtain prior approval to accept an outside appointment.””" I hope that that answers his question. Hon. Members made several points about Government communications. The right hon. Member for Horsham repeated allegations about some kind of impropriety by the Government when they made announcements about neighbourhood policing. I suggest that he should get himself on to the circulation lists of the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) and the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis), both of whom have received letters from the permanent secretary that make it clear why the allegations that the right hon. Member for Horsham has seen fit to repeat today are wrong. Such mudslinging will not work, even though he continues to repeat those allegations. Government spending on advertising has increased since 1997, and we are pleased that it has. It has increased from £69 million in 1996-97 to £154 million in 2006-07. I am pleased to announce those figures because we are saving lives as a result of that Government advertising and marketing. We are on course to meet the 10-year casualty reduction target by 2010, which will mean that there has been a 40 per cent. reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured. The hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Syms) complained about the increase in press officers in the Department of Health. Successful advertising and marketing by the Department is helping to achieve a number of important health targets on smoking. The target to reduce the prevalence of smoking among the general population to 21 per cent. by 2010 is a key and essential part of achieving a healthier society. The civil service and its world has changed dramatically since 1854. That is why important reforms are now taking place, such as the transformation of the Pension Service. Service customers already benefit from a better service that has been designed around their needs. The Department for Work and Pensions pays more than 98 per cent. of its customers by direct payment. That is not only more convenient, but is saving about £1 billion a year between 2005 and 2010. There have been reductions in the number of civil servants, and more of them have been relocated outside London and the south-east. We are investing heavily in a skills programme for the development of the civil service, and we have a capability review programme that is driving forward the process of change within the civil service. It is unfortunate that the Conservative party have used this debate not to celebrate the success of the civil service and the challenges ahead, but to make cheap and inaccurate party political points. I am glad that Madam Deputy Speaker intervened on the right hon. Member for Horsham, quite rightly, as he drifted well away from his brief. We are committed to legislating for the civil service and to safeguarding its impartiality. We have published measures as part of our draft Constitutional Renewal Bill, and we welcome hon. Members' views on that. We are committed to keeping public expenditure under control while ensuring that civil servants have the skills and tools that they need to deliver better services with less. We will continue to undertake a programme of investment and renewal to ensure that Government Departments are in the best possible shape to meet the challenges and demands of the next 150 years. Question put, That the original words stand part of the Question:— The House divided: Ayes 230, Noes 302.