Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Ministerial Code reaffirmed as suitable for government policy announcement principles
Conclusion
The general principle in the Ministerial Code relating to important announcements of government policy has recently been reaffirmed when the Prime Minister republished the Code in October 2025. We concur that the Ministerial Code is a suitable document to contain such a principle for ministers and the guidance associated with it. (Conclusion, Paragraph 12)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees the general principle in Chapter 9 of the Ministerial Code should be broadened to reflect ministerial accountability principles from Chapter 1, committing to update the language at the next available opportunity.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Government agrees that the wording of the ‘General Principle’ in Chapter 9 should be broadened to reflect the principles of ministerial accountability to Parliament which are already set out in Chapter 1 of the Ministerial Code. These principles mirror those contained in the House of Commons Resolution on Ministerial Accountability, which was agreed by the House on 19 March 1997 (Official Report columns 1046–47). We agree that the description of ministerial accountability should be consistent throughout the document to ensure there is no ambiguity regarding the expectations placed upon Ministers. The Government will look to update the language in Chapter 9 of the Ministerial Code to reflect the definition established in Chapter 1 at the next available opportunity.
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