Sally Jameson

I welcome this Backbench Business debate on the seven principles of public life or, as they are also known, the Nolan principles. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire (Susan Murray) for opening the debate and raising some important examples from her constituency, which will have been heard by many people. As she will know, councillors can be referred to the Standards Commission for Scotland, and I hope that that will be done, but her speech has highlighted some important points, particularly in respect of transparency in Holyrood. A year ago today, my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven (Chris Ward) stood at this Dispatch Box to respond to an Adjournment debate on this very issue. Of course, the principles remain the same as they were on that evening—openness, accountability, objectivity, honesty, leadership, integrity and selflessness—but right hon. and hon. Members will be aware that we now stand on the brink of significant change on the matter of standards across the full spectrum of public life. The House knows that the principles are the foundation of standards in public life—something we all aspire to and that unites us across the Floor of this House and the other place. They sit behind the codes of conduct that are imposed for Ministers, special advisers, civil servants and others in public life, and the House knows all too well that public trust can be eroded when those standards are ignored and forgotten. I will not seek to rehearse the arguments made by my hon. Friend last year, but I do wish to talk about the progress we have made in that time and address some of the points raised by hon. Members across the House. I am delighted to say that the Ethics and Integrity Commission, which sits at the heart of our standards system, has now been operational for 13 months. It has produced its first report into lobbying, the business appointment rules and disclosure in July. The chair of the commission has also reported to the Prime Minister as part of his annual responsibilities, setting out the state of the standards landscape across the public sector. The Prime Minister will respond to that shortly, and I am sure the House will be updated then. The commission is currently looking into public sector codes of conduct in preparation for the commencement of the duty of candour as part of what is widely known as the Hillsborough law. We are immensely grateful to the commission for its work to drive up ethical standards in a busy year, and we look forward to seeing the progress over the years ahead. The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, or Hillsborough law, is approaching its remaining stages in the House of Lords, having already passed in the Commons back in July. The Government are working closely with Members in the other place who are rigorously examining that legislation as we head towards Report. The Ministry of Justice is leading on this legislation, but the Cabinet Office owns the duty of candour provisions, which are significant and form a considerable part of the Bill.