Member

From talking to the independent advocate, I will mention three particular concerns she has that she would like to see incorporated by your Lordships. First, she would like us to recognise the Independent Public Advocate within the statutory candour framework, including by ensuring that relevant public bodies owe a duty of candour to the IPA when she or he exercises their statutory functions. Is that something the Minister agrees with? Secondly, she would like to see a strengthening of the IPA’s operational resilience through appropriate staffing, budgetary allocation and making the role full time. Is that something the Minister agrees with? Finally, she would like us to improve transparency and confidence in deployment decisions by ensuring that the IPA has an opportunity to make representations, that those representations are considered and that a short rationale is published where the decision is taken not to deploy.