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
Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service Still in 1995, it was referred to as "a classic which still today guides the international official". According to the ICSC "Framework for Human Resources Management", standards for ethical conduct "promote common values and define the behaviour and performance expected of international civil servants." The revised "Standards of conduct for the international civil service" of 2001 (“2001 standards”), were drafted under the guidance of Mohsen Bel Hadj Amor, chairman of the ICSC, adopted by the ICSC in 2001 and approved by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 56/244 of 24 December 2001. The standards of conduct for the international