Civil Service Statutory Duty of Candour
Infected Blood Inquiry · Infected Blood Inquiry Final Report · Issued 20 May 2024 · Addressed to: UK Government
Government responseUK Government: Accepted in part (May 2025)
DeliveryNo statement from UK Government found
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Government should reconsider whether, in the light of the facts revealed by this Inquiry, it is sufficient to continue to rely on the current non-statutory duties in the Civil Service and Ministerial Codes, coupled with those legal duties which occur on the occasions when civil servants and ministers interact with courts, inquests and inquiries, as securing candour.
Infected Blood Inquiry, Infected Blood Inquiry Final Report · 20 May 2024 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In May 2025, the UK Government accepted the recommendation in principle, stating that the Prime Minister had committed to introducing legislation for a statutory duty of candour with criminal sanctions for public authorities and public servants (Cabinet Office response, May 2025). It reported that it was consulting widely and drafting the bill ahead of its introduction to Parliament, while noting that an updated Ministerial Code had also been issued to emphasize openness and candour (Cabinet Office response, May 2025). The record holds no update since the UK Government's response of May 2025 (Cabinet Office response, May 2025).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
Government response
●UK Government · Accepted in part · 14 May 2025
These recommendations are accepted in principle and the Prime Minister has committed to bringing forward legislation on a duty of candour for public servants. The actions of Civil Servants and Ministers uncovered within the report are extremely concerning and do not reflect the values we expect those who serve the public to uphold. The Government accepts that in light of the facts uncovered by the IBI and other public inquiries that a statutory duty of candour should be introduced. The Prime Minister has committed to legislation on a Duty of Candour being delivered by this Government. He confirmed that the duty will apply to public authorities and public servants and will include criminal sanctions. The Government is consulting widely on this issue, and is working to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law ahead of its introduction to Parliament. The Bill will address the unacceptable defensive culture prevalent across too much of the public sector - highlighted by recent reports such as Bishop James Jones’s report into the experiences of the Hillsborough families and that of this Inquiry. The Bill is part of our wider efforts to create a politics of public service. The Prime Minister issued a Ministerial Code on 6 November which emphasised that ministerial office requires openness and candour, and that ministers should both demand and welcome candid advice.
Extract from: Full Government Response to the Infected Blood Inquiry's May 2024 Report
Delivery
No statement on delivery from UK Government has been found in the sources searched. This is separate from the response above.
How this page is built
The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.