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Civil servants are used to impartiality - but referendum promises need proper resources, says FDA
Responding to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee’s new report calling on the Scottish Government to learn the lessons of the European Union referendum, Allan Sampson, the FDA’s National Officer for Scotland, said:
"Impartially serving the government of the day comes with the territory for civil servants, and we have no doubt our members will rise to the challenge of any future referendum. But there’s more the Scottish Government can do to prepare officials for the road ahead.
“The FDA is committed to working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure our members are supported and appropriately resourced to deliver in these challenging times.
"What officials are instructed to do is a matter for ministers, but politicians on both sides of a referendum debate have a duty to ensure that there are enough properly equipped staff in place to deliver on their promises - and they cannot just rely on the goodwill and unpaid overtime of hard working civil servants."
Notes for editors
- The FDA is the trade union for the UK's senior public servants and professionals at grade HEO and above. FDA membership includes more than 18,000 senior civil servants, diplomats, Government policy advisors, prosecutors, tax professionals, economists, solicitors and other professionals working across Government and the NHS.
- The FDA (formerly the First Division Association) should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior public servants’ union".
- The FDA can be found on Twitter @FDA_union and at www.fda.org.uk.
- For further information contact:
- Matt Foster, Communications Officer, tel: 020 7401 5589 or 07982 514 524.
- Tommy Newell, Communications Officer, tel: 020 7401 5555 or 07738 729 145.
