Complaints procedure
What to do if you are unhappy with your recruitment experience for a Civil Service vacancy
Who do I contact if I wish to make a complaint?
We understand there may be times when a candidate is unhappy with their recruitment experience. In these cases, candidates should first raise their concerns with the relevant hiring department or team. The contact point for complaints will typically be listed in the “Apply and further information” section of a Civil Service Job advert.
If you are not satisfied with the hiring department/team’s response, you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission. The Commission is an independent regulatory body to provide assurance that civil servants are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as per the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010.
Can the Government Recruitment Service help me?
The Government Recruitment Service (GRS) is an operational service provider, not a regulatory body. As such, we only investigate complaints relating to our services and on behalf of some government departments to which we provide services.
If the email address listed for the Recruitment Team in the job advert ends with “grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk” then GRS can likely assist. Please complete this form which will submit your complaint directly to the GRS Correspondence Team. Candidates are politely reminded that the team is here to help and should be treated with the same respect and courtesy as you expect to receive.
The team will investigate your complaint to understand the full circumstances, and you are encouraged to let us know what resolution you are looking for. You should receive a response from the GRS Correspondence Team within 10 working days. If you are not satisfied with the team’s response, you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.
Legislation, codes and principles
Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010. The Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles (PDF, 262KB) explain in more detail the legal requirement that selection for appointment to the Civil Service must be on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition.
Freedom of Information and Subject Access Requests
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request is the right to request recorded information held by public authorities. To make an FOI request to the Government Recruitment Service, please contact foi-team@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. You can find advice on how to make an FOI request on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
A Subject Access Request (SAR) is the right to ask an organisation if they’re using or storing your personal information, and to ask for copies of your personal information. To submit a SAR to the Government Recruitment Service, please contact correspondence.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. You can find advice on how to make a SAR on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.