Written question asked by Mike Wood (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Mark Ferguson (Labour) on Thursday, 24 September 2026 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the letter from the First Civil Service Commissioner to Permanent Secretaries dated 22 June 2026, and the letter to the Home Office of 22 June 2026, how many times Special Advisers met candidates during the recruitment process in the case referred to by the First Civil Service Commissioner in her letter of 22 June 2026, and whether any appointment process was suspended, rerun or cancelled as a consequence of that breach.

Answer: It would not be appropriate to comment on individual matters. As set out in the First Civil Service Commissioner's letter to the Home Office of 22 June 2026, the case will be recorded in the Commission’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2026/27 and in the Home Office’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2026/27.

Secondary information