Pat McFadden has announced the government’s plans to deliver on its manifesto commitment to establish an Ethics and Integrity Commission.
The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said the commission will be created by “strengthening and reforming” the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the body set up 31 years ago by then-prime minister John Major.
He said the commission will “sit at the heart of our standards system” and be given “a stronger mandate and an expanded role to promote, oversee, and report on the Seven Principles of Public Life”, which were established by CSPL in it first report three decades ago.
The expanded role will include a new obligation to report annually to the prime minister on the overall health of the standards system, and a new function of regular engagement with public sector bodies to assist them in the development of clear codes of conduct with effective oversight arrangements.
The commission will also play a leadership role in convening the ethics and standards bodies in central government and parliament “to drive forward the agenda and to identify and address areas of common concern”.
These new functions will build on the existing role of CSPL, which advises the PM on ethical standards through broad inquiries into topical subjects. The commission will continue to conduct such inquiries, and McFadden said the government has made a new commitment to respond to all Ethics and Integrity Commission reports in a reasonable timeframe.
The commission will be tasked with improving public understanding of the ethics system and will act as a “one-stop shop” for members of the public looking for information on standards in public life, the Cabinet Office said.
Doug Chalmers, who is chair of CSPL, will become the commission’s chair.
McFadden said the commission “will drive up ethical standards across the public sector and take a leading role in helping put ethics and integrity at the heart of every public sector organisation”.
The Cabinet Office will work closely with CSPL to finalise its transition into the Ethics and Integrity Commission and publish new terms of reference.
Responding to the new announcement, Chalmers said: “The committee is pleased that its work over the last 30 years has been recognised and that the government wants to retain and build on this model.
"Reporting annually to the prime minister on the health of the standards landscape and the government’s commitment to respond to the Ethics and Integrity Commission’s recommendations within a reasonable timeframe are both welcome and important changes, creating a more regular and visible dialogue on ethical issues across public life.
"The other new role of engaging with public sector bodies on their codes of conduct and oversight mechanisms will take time to devise and implement as the EIC takes shape. We look forward to further discussions with the government on the terms of reference and the resources needed to deliver the ambition set out for the Ethics and Integrity Commission”.
Acoba abolished but business rules finally given "teeth"?
As part of the standards overhaul, the government will close the Advisory Committee for Business Appointments, which vets the jobs that ministers and senior officials take after leaving government to avoid conflicts of interest. Acoba’s functions will be split between the Civil Service Commission and the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards.
Acoba has long been criticised for being “toothless”. Along with its abolishment, the Cabinet Office has announced that the business appointments system, which aims to prevent former ministers and senior officials from improperly profiting from their time in government, will be strengthened.
Under the reforms, former ministers found to have seriously breached the rules after leaving office will be asked to repay any severance payments they have received.
The Cabinet Office has asked the first civil service commissioner to consider how the rules could be strengthened further. The Civil Service Commission will also undertake regular audits of how individual government departments oversee the application of the rules for former civil servants.
Changes to severance procedures
Further changes have been announced to place restrictions on severance pay-offs.
Currently, ministers are entitled to a severance payment equivalent to three months’ salary when they leave office for any reason and regardless of how long they’ve been in the job.
Under the changes, ministers who leave office following a serious breach of the ministerial code, or having served for fewer than six months, will not get a severance payment. And ministers who return to office within three months of leaving will forgo their salary until the end of that three-month period.
Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the overhaul “will mean there are stronger rules, fewer quangos and clearer lines of accountability”.
“The Committee on Standards in Public Life has played an important role in the past three decades. These changes give it a new mandate for the future,” he added.
“But whatever the institutional landscape, the public will, in the end, judge politicians and government by how they do their jobs and how they fulfil the principles of public service.”