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Training: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Volume 492: debated on Thursday 14 May 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training courses funded from the public purse are available to special advisers. (274062)

Special advisers are temporary civil servants appointed under Article 3 of the Civil Service Order in Council 1995, and are allowed the same training opportunities open to permanent civil servants, if there was a sufficient business case. As with all of their work, special advisers should not use official resources for party political activity. This would also include any training that they were allocated.

All training courses undertaken by the special advisers are linked to the Professional Skills for Government agenda and the Department's business and improvement objectives.