The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: June 2021

Recommendations

1. The government should consult on the introduction of an Integrity and Ethics Bill, by the spring of 2022
2. The landscape for regulating standards is in desperate need of consolidation. Regulators need to be given more teeth, more independence, greater resourcing, a stronger statutory footing and greater sanctioning powers.
3. The Ministerial Code should be put on a statutory footing in line with other codes of conduct. It should also be updated to reflect modern practices, including ensuring that mobile phone communications and other informal meetings are recorded. The Code should cover situations where ministersare lobbied during party political or donor events and in social contexts.
4. The Business Appointment Rules should be strengthened and their enforcement properly resourced.
5. Enhanced management of conflicts of interest. In line with recommendations from the Boardman review into Cabinet Office Communications Procurement during COVID and the National Audit Office (NAO) review of emergency PPE procurement
6. Independent review into the role of crown representatives and more robust and transparent management of potential conflicts of interest.
7. Tightened regulation of lobbying and increased transparency.In our view, the Greensill affair has highlighted widely recognised and significant weaknesses in the Lobbying Act