Committee on Standards in Public Life: Defining the boundaries within the Executive: Ministers, Sp…
R9-23
Published April 2003
Response position and delivery status are recorded separately. Acceptance does not establish implementation.
Recommendation (the Committee's words)
(a) The Ministerial Code should be amended to make clear that Ministers are personally accountable for the management and discipline of their unpaid advisers in respect of their governmental responsibilities to the Prime Minister and to Parliament.
(b) The annual statement referred to in R21 should also include unpaid advisers, stating:
(i) the total number of unpaid special advisers employed in the year;
(ii) their names;
(iii) the Ministers for whom they work or have worked;
(iv) their particular roles and areas of responsibility;
(v) comparison figures for earlier years.
(c) An unpaid adviser should be defined in the Ministerial Code as anyone who provides, on an unpaid basis, advice to any Minister or represents any Minister in this country or abroad on a recurring or continuous basis.
(d) The requirement to uphold the political impartiality of civil servants and the requirement not to use official resources for party political activity, contained in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, should be included in the letter of appointment for every unpaid adviser. (page 52)
(b) The annual statement referred to in R21 should also include unpaid advisers, stating:
(i) the total number of unpaid special advisers employed in the year;
(ii) their names;
(iii) the Ministers for whom they work or have worked;
(iv) their particular roles and areas of responsibility;
(v) comparison figures for earlier years.
(c) An unpaid adviser should be defined in the Ministerial Code as anyone who provides, on an unpaid basis, advice to any Minister or represents any Minister in this country or abroad on a recurring or continuous basis.
(d) The requirement to uphold the political impartiality of civil servants and the requirement not to use official resources for party political activity, contained in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, should be included in the letter of appointment for every unpaid adviser. (page 52)
From: Committee on Standards in Public Life, Defining the boundaries within the Executive: Ministers, Special Advisers and the permanent Civil Service, April 2003