GOP ethos in UK Rural Payments Agency

[Guest guest]

Civil servants 'jumped naked off filing cabinets'

By Paul Stokes

(Filed: 13/06/2006)

 

 

Staff at a government agency office have been reported

leaping naked from filing cabinets and carrying out

stomach-churning pranks.

 

Civil servants are said to have had sex in the

lavatories, taken drugs, used foul language, brawled

in the reception area and held break-dancing contests

in working hours.

 

Some of the goings-on at the Rural Payments Agency, a

branch of the Department for Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs, in Lancaster House, Newcastle upon

Tyne, are believed to have been captured on CCTV.

 

One person has already been dismissed and disciplinary

proceedings against others are under way.

 

An investigation was begun after an internal memo was

sent to managers by staff sickened by the behaviour.

 

It stated: " I'm appalled at the level of depravity

that is being tolerated at my work place. " The authors

refer to " sick, shocking and obscene behaviour " and

identify specific problems.

 

They wrote: " We have particular concerns about the

activities that have been going on and which have been

photographed.

 

" Although the staff obviously feels it is a great

laugh, by anyone's standards in the workplace setting

this represents misconduct and may not be allowed to

go unchallenged.

 

" Activities have been captured on official cameras.

Specifically 'these activities' refers to leaping from

cabinet to cabinet in underwear and believe it or not

- but the evidence exists - naked.

 

" There is an horrific new craze of vomiting into

official cups and leaving the cups to fester in

cupboards until discovered through the horrendous

smell. There is a list of shocking and awful acts in

work time including sex in the toilets, drug-taking

and swearing is rife. "

 

The Rural Payments Agency is responsible for

allocating funds in rural areas, conducting

inspections and livestock tracing.

 

An RPA spokesman said: " Allegations of serious

misconduct by some agency and permanent staff at our

Newcastle office are the subject of an ongoing

internal investigation.

 

" Disciplinary action and a dismissal have already

taken place and further action is pending. "

 

He added: " RPA expects high standards of its staff,

who have very important and responsible jobs to do for

the farming industry, and will not tolerate breaches

such as those described. "

 

Last month Lord Bach was moved from his post as farms

minister after a week in office because of the Rural

Payments Agency's failure to pay £1.5 billion of

European subsidies on time to English farmers and

landowners.

 

The fiasco has pushed many farmers to the brink of

bankruptcy.

 

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