Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
The Ministerial Code further requires that hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity is...
Conclusion
The Ministerial Code further requires that hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity is declared on departments’ quarterly transparency releases.14 During 8 Q 35, C&AG’s Report, para 13 9 Qq 85, 90–91, 122 10 C&AG’s Report, para 2.25 11 Cabinet Office, Ministerial Code, May 2022, para 8.14 12 Information Commissioner’s Office, Behind the screens – maintaining government transparency and data security in the age of messaging apps, July 2022 13 Q 75 14 Cabinet Office, Ministerial Code, May 2022, para 7.24 10 Government’s contracts with Randox Laboratories Ltd a March 2019 ministerial visit to Northern Ireland, Matt Hancock, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, toured Randox’s premises. He also attended a private dinner and stayed overnight at a country estate owned by Randox’s managing director. None of these events were recorded in the Department’s transparency returns relating to hospitality or ministers’ external meetings. The Department said questions around the declaration of any hospitality received were for Mr Hancock to answer.15 Mr Hancock has subsequently written to us noting that at the time, his ministerial private office had made the judgement that both the dinner and overnight stay were political events and therefore did not need to be declared. He also noted that his stay had saved the taxpayer the cost of a hotel room. He also stated that he was not involved in any testing contract negotiations.16
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation to strengthen its transparency processes and ensure that it enforces requirements and takes action where they are not followed. They have undertaken a review of historic ministerial diaries and has, where necessary, updated the register, strengthened reporting and quality assurance processes, and minutes are taken for all meetings with external parties and are centrally held.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2. PAC conclusion: The Department failed to meet basic requirements to report publicly ministers’ meetings with external parties. 2. PAC recommendation: In its Treasury Minute response, the Department should set out how it intends to strengthen its transparency processes and ensure that it enforces requirements and takes action where they are not followed. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation Implemented 2.2 The exponential increase in departmental activity and the urgency with which meetings were conducted at the height of the pandemic resulted in inadvertent omissions from the register of ministerial meetings. Many hundreds of meetings with external parties were routinely published in line with transparency requirements over this period. The department has undertaken a review of historic ministerial diaries and has, where necessary, updated the register in line with Cabinet Office requirements. 2.3 The department takes transparency requirements for ministerial teams extremely seriously and has strengthened both reporting and quality assurance processes. Minutes are taken for all meetings with external parties and are centrally held. The clearance requirements for quarterly transparency returns are in line with best practice across government, including PPS and ministerial clearance for each entry. Sessions led by the Cabinet Office on transparency returns are attended by those responsible for compiling ministerial returns. Corporate objectives, including transparency requirements, are reinforced across ministerial private offices and in all performance management conversations. Should there be a future failure to meet requirements, the department will correct the public record at the first available opportunity and will ensure that new employees are reminded of the importance of adhering to transparency obligations.