Conduct and Codes
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of conduct required of every official employed by a department or service of the Velocity Interoperability Network. It is maintained by the Civil Service Commission of the Velocity Interoperability Network, which advises departments and officials on its application and decides complaints that it has been breached. The Code took effect on 6 September 2026 and applies from the first day of an official's appointment.
The Code is short by design. It states four values and the obligations that follow from them, and leaves the detail of how they are met to departments, which know the work. Where a department's own instructions go further than the Code, officials follow the instructions; where they fall short of it, the Code prevails.
The four values. Every obligation in the Code follows from one of these.
- Integrity
- An official puts the obligations of public service above their own interests. An official does not use their post, or information obtained through it, to secure an advantage for themselves, for a person connected with them or for an organisation with which they are associated.
- Honesty
- An official is truthful and open. An official does not knowingly mislead a colleague, a member of the public or a body to which the department answers, and corrects an error as soon as it is discovered.
- Objectivity
- An official bases advice and decisions on the evidence, sets out the options fairly and records the reasons for the course recommended. Evidence is not selected, withheld or presented so as to favour a conclusion reached in advance.
- Impartiality
- An official serves the department of the day and treats those who deal with it alike. An official does not allow a personal, political or commercial affiliation to affect the discharge of their duties, and takes no part in a decision in which they have an interest.
What must be declared. Declaration is the ordinary way in which an official keeps within the Code. A declaration is not an admission of wrongdoing: it is a record that allows the department to decide whether the official should take part in a piece of work, and to show afterwards that the question was considered.
| Matter | Who must declare | When | Recorded in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside employment or a directorship | Every official | Before it is taken up | Register of interests |
| A financial interest in an organisation the department deals with | Every official whose duties touch that organisation | Within ten working days of acquiring it | Register of interests |
| A close personal connection to a candidate, supplier or applicant | Every official taking part in the decision | Before taking any part in the decision | Panel or case record, and the register |
| A gift of any value from a person with whom the department deals | Every official | Within ten working days, whether accepted or declined | Register of gifts and hospitality |
| Hospitality offered in connection with official duties | Every official | Within ten working days of the offer | Register of gifts and hospitality |
| An approach about employment outside the service | Grade 5 and above | Within ten working days of the approach | Register of interests |
| Membership of a body that campaigns on a matter within the department's functions | Grade 4 and above | Within ten working days of joining | Register of interests |
Making a declaration. The steps below apply in every department. An official who is unsure whether a matter is declarable should declare it. No official will be criticised for declaring a matter that proves not to have required it; the Commission treats an unnecessary entry in the register as a proper exercise of judgement.
Step 1: Identify the matter
Consider whether a reasonable person, knowing the facts, might think the matter could affect how you carry out your duties. If you are unsure, treat it as declarable. The test is how the matter would appear, not whether you believe it would in fact influence you.
Step 2: Tell your line manager
Raise the matter with your line manager before taking any further part in the work to which it relates. Where the matter concerns your line manager, raise it with the next official above them or with your department's conduct officer.
Step 3: Record it in the register within ten working days
Enter the matter in your department's register of interests, giving the date, a description sufficient for a reader to understand its nature and, where a value is relevant, that value. A gift declined is recorded as well as one accepted.
Step 4: Agree how the matter will be handled
Your department records the action taken: no action, a note on the file, withdrawal from part of the work, transfer of the work to another official, or the return of a gift. The action is recorded against the entry.
Step 5: Keep the entry current
Review your entries when your duties change and at least once a year. An entry that no longer applies is closed rather than deleted, so that the register shows the position at any date. Entries are kept for six years after they are closed.
Questions on the Code. The answers below are the Commission's guidance on the questions most often put to it. They form part of the Code and are revised as practice develops.
For the standards applying to appointment rather than to conduct in post, see Recruitment Standards; for the grades to which the political activity rules refer, see Civil Service Grades; for the reported number of declarations and conduct cases, see Statistics. Advice on a particular question may be sought from contact@civil-service.gov.vin.