Michael Gove is legendary in Whitehall as a “details man”. Little or no happens in his department without his knowing. Formerly, it sort of feels.

The Observer reported last weekend that one among his special advisers have been cited in a year-long grievance case wherein a senior civil servant had accused the fellow and others of bullying and intimidation.

This came as a surprise to the all-party education select committee as, on 23 January, Mr Gove had appeared before it and said he knew nothing about allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards civil servants by any of his special advisers. The bullying case was closed last month with a £25,000 pre-tribunal payout to the complainant from public funds.

Last Wednesday, the committee agreed to put in writing to Mr Gove asking him to clarify his evidence. Before the letter was sent, however, news of its imminent dispatch reached the education secretary. Mr Gove dashed off a respond to the committee chair, the Tory MP Graham Stuart, answering what he thought stands out as the central question. He told Mr Stuart that he stood by his evidence and that it was not “normal practice” for ministers to be told of such grievances, particularly in the event that they had not been upheld.

The select committee now must recall Mr Gove to invite him the questions they want to lay to him, instead of those he want to answer.

These are the questions: the ministerial code and the special advisers’ code state that ministers are accountable for the behaviour and discipline in their special advisers. Why, therefore, was Mr Gove not privy to a year-long case involving one among his closest advisers Who took responsibility for signing off the £25,000 of public money to the complainant Is it conceivable that neither the minister nor the permanent secretary knew anything at all

The day before Mr Gove gave evidence, Liz Truss, considered one of his junior ministers, answered a parliamentary question about bullying cases within the Department for Education, revealing that there have been a dozen since May 2010. Mr Gove knew nothing If Ms Truss knew such a lot why did Mr Gove know so little