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| Education official feared phone was hacked | Education official feared phone was hacked |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News | By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News |
| A senior education official feared his phone had been hacked and thought he was the victim of politically-movitated harassment. | A senior education official feared his phone had been hacked and thought he was the victim of politically-movitated harassment. |
| The BBC understands the official was Tim Byles, a key figure in the BSF school building programme. The government has not named the official. | |
| The Department for Education says the individual concerned thought someone was trying to intercept his calls. | The Department for Education says the individual concerned thought someone was trying to intercept his calls. |
| Details of the allegations are revealed in letters released by the government. | Details of the allegations are revealed in letters released by the government. |
| This was after the matter was raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday in the emergency debate on the phone hacking crisis, when the Prime Minister was again criticised for making the former News of the World editor Andy Coulson his head of of communications. | This was after the matter was raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday in the emergency debate on the phone hacking crisis, when the Prime Minister was again criticised for making the former News of the World editor Andy Coulson his head of of communications. |
| Then, the former Labour Minister Nick Raynsford asked: "Will the Prime Minister confirm that a year ago, during the period when Mr Coulson was director of communications, the Cabinet Secretary was alerted to evidence of illegal phone hacking, covert surveillance and hostile media briefing directed against a senior official in the Government service?" | Then, the former Labour Minister Nick Raynsford asked: "Will the Prime Minister confirm that a year ago, during the period when Mr Coulson was director of communications, the Cabinet Secretary was alerted to evidence of illegal phone hacking, covert surveillance and hostile media briefing directed against a senior official in the Government service?" |
| The Prime Minister replied that he would look very closely at what Mr Raynsford had said, but added that "in the period that Andy Coulson worked at No. 10 Downing street as head of communications, there was no complaint about the way he did his job". | The Prime Minister replied that he would look very closely at what Mr Raynsford had said, but added that "in the period that Andy Coulson worked at No. 10 Downing street as head of communications, there was no complaint about the way he did his job". |
| 'Media harassment' | 'Media harassment' |
| Now letters dated 21 July - about the allegations - have been released by both the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education. | Now letters dated 21 July - about the allegations - have been released by both the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education. |
| A letter from the top civil servant at the Department for Education, Sir David Bell, to the Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell says: "In July 2010, a senior official raised concerns with me about media harassment. | A letter from the top civil servant at the Department for Education, Sir David Bell, to the Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell says: "In July 2010, a senior official raised concerns with me about media harassment. |
| "He complained that he was receiving a large number of phone calls from journalists... He also mentioned receiving calls where no-one actually spoke to him." | "He complained that he was receiving a large number of phone calls from journalists... He also mentioned receiving calls where no-one actually spoke to him." |
| Sir David says the matter was referred to the department's security officer and that the official involved "suspected his mobile phone had been tampered with, for the purpose of intercepting calls". | Sir David says the matter was referred to the department's security officer and that the official involved "suspected his mobile phone had been tampered with, for the purpose of intercepting calls". |
| The individual then took the matter up with the police and his phone company, Mr Bell said, but neither "was able to identify any malpractice". | The individual then took the matter up with the police and his phone company, Mr Bell said, but neither "was able to identify any malpractice". |
| 'Political motivation' | 'Political motivation' |
| At the end of the letter, Mr Bell says he spoke to the individual involved after Mr Raynsford's comments to MPs and that he had "confirmed that at no time did he ever suggest, or even consider, that the telephone calls he received without anyone speaking on the line came from political special advisers at 10 Downing Street. | At the end of the letter, Mr Bell says he spoke to the individual involved after Mr Raynsford's comments to MPs and that he had "confirmed that at no time did he ever suggest, or even consider, that the telephone calls he received without anyone speaking on the line came from political special advisers at 10 Downing Street. |
| "The official did though surmise that there was some political motivation behind the calls," the letter ends. | "The official did though surmise that there was some political motivation behind the calls," the letter ends. |
| The Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell - in a letter to Mr Raynsford - says "at no point did the individual mention covert surveillance to that Department [education] or to me Number 10 special advisers in his concern about phone tampering". | The Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell - in a letter to Mr Raynsford - says "at no point did the individual mention covert surveillance to that Department [education] or to me Number 10 special advisers in his concern about phone tampering". |
| The government says it will not name the individual who raised the concerns. | The government says it will not name the individual who raised the concerns. |
| Until May, Tim Byles was the chief executive of Partnership for Schools, the body which had been responsible for delivering the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme before it was controversially scrapped. | |
| In was in July 2010 that the Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that he was ending the programme, which he said was inefficient. He later had to apologise to MPs about errors which meant some councils were told their projects were going ahead when in fact they were being scrapped. | In was in July 2010 that the Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that he was ending the programme, which he said was inefficient. He later had to apologise to MPs about errors which meant some councils were told their projects were going ahead when in fact they were being scrapped. |
| Mr Byles announced his resignation from Partnership for Schools in May this year. | Mr Byles announced his resignation from Partnership for Schools in May this year. |
| The BBC has approached Mr Byles for comment but has so far not received a response. | The BBC has approached Mr Byles for comment but has so far not received a response. |