Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
General agreement on Ministerial Code expectations serves everyone's best interests
Conclusion
Even though the Ministerial Code is a government document, it is in everyone’s interest for there to be general agreement of the expectations flowing from its letter and spirit. (Conclusion, Paragraph 17)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees with the committee's observation and commits to updating the language in Chapter 9 of the Ministerial Code at the next available opportunity. This update will broaden the 'General Principle' to reflect and ensure consistency with Chapter 1 on ministerial accountability.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Government acknowledges the Committee’s concerns about the Code as currently drafted, and will look to update the language. The Code sets out the Prime Minister’s expectations of all who serve in government. The contents of the Code are a matter for the Prime Minister, rather than Parliament - and successive governments have taken that approach. The Government remains committed to working constructively with Members to ensure any changes continue to allow Parliamentarians to uphold their role in scrutinising and debating the Government’s policies effectively.
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