L

Lord Keen of Elie (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 12 October 2026

Debate

Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Contribution

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, and the noble Lord, Lord Wills, set out their arguments with great clarity. I do not wish to detain the Committee with lengthy observations from these Benches, but I will reflect on the noble Lord’s proposal for the head of a public authority to be bound by a central record-keeping duty. When we come to the debate on my Amendment 34, we on these Benches intend to consider the question of support provided to officials in fulfilling their obligations under the Bill. In the current drafting, the duty of candour is a disparate duty that lands both on public authorities and on public officials. Simply imposing a duty of candour on an official, without providing appropriate practical and legal support to such officials, risks putting public officials in the position of having to seek costly legal advice for themselves. I am certainly interested by the noble Lord’s proposal of a central role for the head of a public authority, which I hope we may discuss in some form between now and Report.

More from Lord Keen of Elie (Con)

Other recent Hansard contributions by the same speaker.

About Hansard

Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.