Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted in Part
Comply with the Ministerial Code or substantially re-write it in consultation with Parliament.
Recommendation
The responsibility for complying with the Code rests with the Government. The Government should either make every effort to comply with the Code, or to re-write it. Although it is the Prime Minister’s document, we expect that any substantial re-writing of the Code in this area should be done in consultation with Members of the House and that the House should then be given an opportunity to consider any implications that flow from the changes for its own resolutions. (Conclusion, Paragraph 41)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges concerns and commits to updating the language of the Ministerial Code, while reasserting that the Code's content is ultimately a matter for the Prime Minister, but also commits to working constructively with Members.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
10. 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. 11. 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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