Public officers must never use information obtained through their official duties to advance their own private interests or those of others. This is set out in the Public Service Code of Conduct. Depending on the circumstances, unauthorised use or disclosure of official information may also constitute an offence under the law.

The Public Service has several layers of safeguards in place:

1. Access control. Access to sensitive information is controlled on a need-to-know basis. Such information is subject to security classification and handling requirements, system and physical access controls and, where appropriate, audit, monitoring, and project-specific safeguards.
   
   Officers must not pass non-public information to any relative, friend or other person for private gain. Doing so would breach the applicable rules and may also constitute an offence under the law, including the Official Secrets Act.
   
   Agencies also have safeguards covering persons outside the Public Service who are given access to sensitive Government information, including confidentiality, conflict-of-interest, and information-handling requirements for contractors, consultants, and other personnel.
   
   

2. Declaration and approval requirements. All public officers are required to declare their purchases of private property. Public officers who possess non-public information relevant to a proposed personal transaction must declare this and obtain approval before proceeding. This requirement also extends to transactions involving officers’ spouses and financially dependent children.
   
   

3. Whistleblowing channels. Officers may report suspected wrongdoing through established channels to their supervisors, HR, or Heads of Agencies. This provides an additional means of bringing possible misconduct to attention.

The Government expects all public officers to uphold the highest standards of integrity. Any suspected misuse of non-public information for personal gain will be investigated, and appropriate action will be taken where warranted.