Select Committee · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Propriety of governance in light of Greensill

Status: Closed Opened: 11 May 2022 Closed: 9 Oct 2023 13 recommendations 29 conclusions 2 reports

The collapse of Greensill Capital and the subsequent revelations about its relationship with government and Whitehall have raised significant concerns about the propriety of governance in this country. In April 2021, PACAC launched an inquiry into the effectiveness of rules to prevent conflicts of interest and regulation of access by current and former politicians and …

Reports

2 reports

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Fourth Report - Propriety of Governance in Light of Greens…	HC 888	2 Dec 2022	25	Responded
Third Report - Propriety of Governance in Light of Greensil…	HC 59	22 Jul 2021	17	—

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items

8 Conclusion Fourth Report - Propriety of Governance… Accepted

Those who seek only to comply with the Rules sensu stricto and do not apply...

Those who seek only to comply with the Rules sensu stricto and do not apply their own “smell test” when considering future opportunities will continue to risk significant personal reputational damage. (Paragraph 39) Appointments

Government response. The government states that the Independent Adviser can now initiate inquiries, with Prime Minister consent required only in limited cases, and that the next Independent Adviser is expected to retain these powers, which effectively addresses the recommendation by describing current …

10 Recommendation Fourth Report - Propriety of Governance… Accepted

The system of public appointments is predicated on the principle that such appointments are the...

The system of public appointments is predicated on the principle that such appointments are the responsibility of the relevant Minister and it is they that should be held accountable for them. On this basis, we endorse the recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life that Ministers wishing to …

Government response. The government has introduced a new model policy to improve the management of outside interests in the Civil Service.

11 Recommendation Fourth Report - Propriety of Governance… Accepted

Rather than only raising concerns, Senior Independent Panel Members should report to the Commissioner for...

Rather than only raising concerns, Senior Independent Panel Members should report to the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the conduct of all significant public appointments processes. The Governance Code should be updated accordingly.

Government response. The government is developing a 'ministerial deed' to legally commit ministers to the Business Appointment Rules and will strengthen contractual clauses for civil servants to clarify post-government employment restrictions, allowing for exploration of further sanctions like financial penalties for breaches.

Oral evidence sessions

9 sessions

Date	Witnesses
12 Jul 2022	The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH	View ↗
28 Jun 2022	Darren Tierney · Department for International Trade, Simon Case CVO · Cabinet Office	View ↗
9 Jun 2022	Rt Hon Lord Pickles · Advisory Committee on Business Appointments	View ↗
17 May 2022	Rt Hon Sir Peter Riddell CBE · Cabinet Office	View ↗
15 Mar 2022	Sir Alex Allan · House of Commons, Sir Philip Mawer · House of Commons	View ↗
11 Jan 2022	The Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL · Committee on Standards in Public Life	View ↗
2 Nov 2021	Nigel Boardman	View ↗
13 Jul 2021	Propriety of governance in light of Greensill	View ↗
8 Jun 2021	Bill Crothers · Cabinet Office, Ian Watmore · Cabinet Office, Sir John Manzoni KCB · Cabinet Office, The Rt Hon Lord Maude of Horsham · Member of the House of Lords	View ↗

Correspondence

7 letters

Date	Direction	Title
25 Jul 2023	To cttee	Letter from Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of th…
25 Jul 2023	From cttee	Letter to Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of …
23 Jun 2021	To cttee	Letter from Suzanne Heywood on Propriety of governance in light of Greensill, d…
23 Jun 2021	To cttee	Letter from John Manzoni on Propriety of governance in light of Greensill, date…
25 May 2021	—	Correspondence with Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary on propriety and ethics in Go…
26 Apr 2021	To cttee	Letter from Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary on management of outside interests by…
26 Apr 2021	To cttee	Letter from Chair to Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary on Audit of Civil Service du…