Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service (GCHQ) is a British intelligence agency that provides signals intelligence to the British government and armed forces. Prior to 1983 its existence was not acknowledged, despite the fact that it openly recruited graduates. Following a spy scandal in 1983, the organisation became known to the public, and the government of Margaret Thatcher decided a year later that employees would not be allowed to join a trade union for national security reasons. The Minister for the Civil Service is a position held "ex officio" by the Prime Minister. This was done through an Order in Council, an exercise of the Royal
Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland be applied to positions instead of the traditional grade. There also exists the grades of Services Officer, Staff Officer, Administrative Officer, and Second Secretary which only exist in certain departments or offices. Specialist or technical positions may have a different grading structure. It has become practice in recent times for some outside advisors to also work in government departments, such as 'programme managers', however the conditions and remuneration of such individuals varies with government. The Civil Service of the Government () is the body of civil servants which advises and carries out the work of the Government, through the "Departments