Monitoring Non-Statutory Duties
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
If, on review, the Government considers that it is sufficient to rely on the current non-statutory duties in the Civil Service Code, it should nonetheless introduce a statutory duty of accountability on senior civil servants for the candour and completeness of advice given to Permanent Secretaries and Ministers, and the candour and completeness of their response to concerns raised by members of the public and staff.
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 committed to introducing legislation for a statutory duty of candour covering public authorities and public servants, which will include criminal sanctions (Cabinet Office response, May 2025). It added that it was consulting widely and drafting the bill ahead of its introduction to Parliament (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.