Civil servants banned from using Facebook

British civil servants have been banned using Facebook in the office according to a Press Association report.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said that the government recognised that social networking was a useful tool for reaching out to jobseekers and partners and maintained that "all staff have access to LinkedIn and Twitter for business use."

However Facebook is firmly off the menu. "Access to some internet sites from departmental computers is restricted or blocked. This includes Facebook," said Grayling.

The policy came to light following a parliamentary question. "Communications workers" were still able to use Facebook since their jobs relied on accessing social media, he said.