Committee on Standards in Public Life explained

The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) is an advisory non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom Government, established by John Major in 1994 to advise the Prime Minister on ethical standards of public life. It promotes a code of conduct called the Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan principles after the first chairman of the committee, Lord Nolan.

Function

The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an independent advisory non-departmental public body,^[1] with a secretariat and budget provided by the Cabinet Office. The committee advises and makes recommendations to the prime minister on ethical standards in public life.^[2] It can conduct inquiries and collect evidence to assess institutions, policies and practices.

It is formally responsible for:^[3]

• advising the Prime Minister on ethical issues relating to standards in public life
• conducting broad inquiries into standards of conduct
• making recommendations as to changes in present arrangements
• promoting the Seven Principles of Public Life.

The Committee does not investigate individual allegations of misconduct.

Seven Principles of Public Life

The committee promotes a code of conduct for those in public life called the Seven Principles of Public Life or the Nolan Principles:^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

• Selflessness – Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
• Integrity – Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
• Objectivity – Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
• Accountability – Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
• Openness – Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
• Honesty – Holders of public office should be truthful
• Leadership – Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.^[9]

These Seven Principles apply to anyone who works as a public office holder including:

• those elected or appointed to public office, nationally or locally,
• those appointed to work in the civil service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, Non Departmental Public Bodies, and in the health, education, social and care services, and
• those in the private sector delivering public services.

Influence

The Seven Principles of Public Life have proved influential and are enshrined in codes of conduct across the UK public sector, from schools and government departments to hospitals.^[10] They are incorporated into a variety of government-related codes including the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code, the Civil Service Management Code, and the House of Lords Code of Conduct.^{[11] [12]} Many local authorities, charities and educational and healthcare bodies adhere to the principles, including – to cite just a few examples – Oxfordshire County Council,^[13] the University of Exeter,^[14] the University of Nottingham,^[15] the NHS Board,^[16] the National Trust,^[17] and the Good Governance Institute.^[10] The principles have also been important in informing ethics debates internationally.^[18]

Members

The Committee consists of a chair, four independent members and three political members, being four men and four women.^[19] The chair and independent members are appointed by the Prime Minister for a single five-year term, following an open competition regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). The political members, nominated by the Conservative, Labour and Scottish National (until December 2022 the Liberal Democrat) political parties, are appointed for three years with the possibility of reappointment.^[20]

!Position!Current holder!Appointed!Term

Chair	Lt Gen Douglas Chalmers CB DSO OBE	1 January 2024	5 years
Member	The Rt Hon. Dame Margaret Beckett GBE MP (Labour Party)	1 November 2010 (last reappointed 1 November 2022)	3 years
Member	Baroness Simone Finn (Conservative Party)	21 November 2022	3 years
Member	The Rt Hon. Ian Blackford MP (Scottish National Party)	26 June 2023	3 years
Member	Professor Gillian Peele (Independent member)	1 August 2021	5 years
Member	Ewen Fergusson (Independent member)	1 August 2021	5 years
Member	The Rt Hon. Lady Mary Arden (Independent member)	13 February 2023	5 years
Member	Vacant since 12 March 2023 (Independent member)		5 years

History

The Committee was initially established in October 1994 by the Prime Minister, John Major, in response to concerns that the conduct of some politicians was unethical - for example, during the cash-for-questions affair.^[21]

1994 terms of reference

The Committee's original terms of reference were "To examine current concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office, including arrangements relating to financial and commercial activities, and make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements which might be required to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life".^{[22] [23]}

First report, 1995

The Committee's first report^[24] in 1995 established an initial version of The Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan Principles after the committee's first chairman. The principles were Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.^[24]

1997 change of remit - funding of political parties

As Tony Blair had announced in 1996, referring back to the Neil Hamilton and Cash-for-questions affair,^[25] the committee's terms of reference were extended in November 1997. The committee's new remit included "To review issues in relation to the funding of political parties, and to make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements."^[26]

2013 change of remit - devolved assemblies

In February 2013, the committee's terms of reference were amended to specify that "...in future the Committee should not inquire into matters relating to the devolved legislatures and governments except with the agreement of those bodies". In June of that year the committee was included on a list of 200 organisations that the UK government claimed may need to be replicated in the event of Scottish Independence.^[27]

2013 change of remit - non-elected and non-appointed officials

The Committee's remit was also expanded in February 2013 to cover standards of conduct of all holders of public office, not solely those appointed or elected to public office, including all those involved in the delivery of public services.^[28] It was later clarified that the committee "can examine issues relating to the ethical standards of the delivery of public services by private and voluntary sector organisations, paid for by public funds, even where those delivering the services have not been appointed or elected to public office."

2021 review

In September 2020 the committee commenced a detailed review into processes in Westminster. In its interim and final reports of July and November 2021 it noted that transparency relating to lobbying was "poor", and it recommended tightening up the rules governing the conduct of ministers and senior civil servants. A survey conducted by the committee found that the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed poor behaviour by politicians, including breaches of lockdown rules and the awarding of public procurement contracts to ministers' friends. Survey participants were said to be "visibly angry as they recounted the strict pandemic rules they had to follow, which they believed were disregarded by various politicians who subsequently faced few or no consequences."^[29] The committee's final report found the effectiveness of ethics regulators in Whitehall had "not kept pace with wider changes" and that there was a "particular need for reform in central government". Lord Evans called for more power to be given to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, and for these stronger rules to be written into law.^[30]

2021 concerns about appointments to the committee

In 2021 the committee's only non-white member Monisha Shah came to the end of her five-year appointment to the committee, and on 1 August new members Ewen Fergusson and Gillian Peele were appointed. The committee's chair, Lord Evans, wrote to the Cabinet Office minister reporting concerns about the committee's "lack of visible diversity now as a group" and said that the watchdog "needs to be representative of the people we serve."^[31] The appointment of Ewen Fergusson was criticised as "cronyism" by the Labour Party as he had been a member of the Bullingdon Club at Oxford at the same time as Boris Johnson.^[32] Former committee chair Sir Alistair Graham attacked the appointment as a "pathetic" attempt to recruit an old friend of the Prime Minister to an independent committee.^[33]

List of past committee chairs

• The Lord Nolan 28 October 1994 – 7 November 1997^[34]
• The Lord Neill of Bladen, QC 7 November 1997 – 1 March 2001
• Sir Nigel Wicks 1 March 2001 – 26 April 2004
• Sir Alistair Graham 26 April 2004 – 24 April 2007
• Rita Donaghy, Baroness Donaghy 25 April 2007^[35] –
• Sir Christopher Kelly, KCB 1 January 2008^[36] – 1 April 2013
• The Lord Bew 1 September 2013 – 25 October 2018^[37]
• The Lord Evans of Weardale 25 October 2018 – 31 October 2023

Bibliography

• Book: Leopold, Patricia . The Changing Constitution . 5 . Jeffrey . Jowell . Dawn . Oliver . Oxford University Press . 2004 . Standards of Conduct in Public Life . 0-19-926439-2.
• Web site: Committee on Standards in Public Life: Annual Report 2017-18 . 2018 . 13 January 2019 . Committee on Standards in Public Life.
• Web site: First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life . 1995 . 19 October 2011 . Committee on Standards in Public Life . dead . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131205113448/http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm28/2850/285002.pdf . 5 December 2013 . dmy .
• Web site: Annual Report 2010–11 . September 2011 . 20 October 2011 . Committee on Standards in Public Life . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123174057/http://www.public-standards.gov.uk/Library/Annual_Report_14_9_11.pdf . 23 January 2013 . dead .

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Code of Practice . Committee on Standards in Public Life . 29 November 2021.
2. News: Allegretti. Aubrey. 23 August 2021. Chair of Whitehall sleaze watchdog laments lack of diversity on panel. The Guardian. 19 October 2021.
3. Web site: About us . Committee on Standards in Public Life . 7 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170728024139/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-committee-on-standards-in-public-life/about . 28 July 2017 . dead.
4. Web site: The Seven Principles of Public Life . GOV.UK . Committee on Standards in Public Life . 29 November 2021 . en . 31 May 1995.
5. Committee on Standards in Public Life: Annual Report 2017-18", p. 2
6. Web site: The Nolan Principles . www.isi.net . Independent Schools Inspectorate . 29 November 2021.
7. Web site: 7 Principles of Public Life . www.salfordccg.nhs.uk . Salford CCG . 29 November 2021.
8. Web site: Explainer Series – The Nolan Principles . Beyond Governance . 20 July 2022 . 29 November 2021.
9. Leadership wording updated in November 2021: Web site: 5 November 2021. Amending the descriptor to leadership – reinforcing a culture of respect for one another. live. 24 November 2021. Gov.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20211105133812/https://cspl.blog.gov.uk/2021/11/05/amending-the-descriptor-to-leadership-reinforcing-a-culture-of-respect-for-one-another/ . 2021-11-05 .
10. Web site: 1 June 2020. The Nolan principles. live. 7 January 2022. The Good Governance Institute. https://web.archive.org/web/20210626075210/https://www.good-governance.org.uk/publications/insights/the-nolan-principles . 26 June 2021 .
11. Web site: 21 April 2017. The importance of values and of the principles behind the Rules. live. 7 January 2022. www.parliament.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20180909125840/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmpubadm/252/25208.htm . 9 September 2018 .
12. Web site: 2014. Amendments To The Code And Guide To The Code. live. 7 January 2022. www.parliament.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20140328204208/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldselect/ldprivi/123/12304.htm . 28 March 2014 .
13. Web site: June 2020. Achieving good corporate governance. live. 7 January 2022. Oxfordshire County Council. https://web.archive.org/web/20220107222746/https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council/about-your-council/government-oxfordshire/oxfordshire-county-council/corporate-governance/good-corporate-governance . 7 January 2022 .
14. Web site: Appendix to the Code of conduct for staff and Prevention of bribery and other improper conduct: Guidance for Colleges and Services. live. 7 January 2022. University of Exeter. https://web.archive.org/web/20150914234321/http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/employment/codesofconduct/staff/sevenprinciples/ . 14 September 2015 .
15. Web site: February 2020. The University of Nottingham Ethical Framework. live. 7 January 2022. University of Nottingham. https://web.archive.org/web/20150420032808/http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/governance/otherregulations/ethical-framework.aspx . 20 April 2015 .
16. Web site: October 2011. Ethical standards for NHS Board Members in England. live. 7 January 2022. Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence. https://web.archive.org/web/20220107221237/https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/docs/default-source/publications/research-paper/policy-review---standards-for-nhs-board-members-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2 . 7 January 2022 .
17. Web site: December 2016. Governance Handbook. live. 7 January 2022. National Trust. https://web.archive.org/web/20200720103213/https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/documents/governance-handbook-2016.pdf . 20 July 2020 .
18. Behnke. Nathalie. January 2003. A Nolan Committee for the German ethics infrastructure?. European Journal of Political Research. en. 41. 5. 675–708. 10.1111/1475-6765.00026.
19. Web site: Committee on Standards in Public Life . Membership . https://web.archive.org/web/20211214021106/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-committee-on-standards-in-public-life/about/membership . 14 December 2021 . 29 March 2022 . gov.uk.
20. Committee on Standards in Public Life: Annual Report 2022-23", p. 12
21. Leopold (2004). p. 417.
22. http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04888.pdf House of Commons Library, Committee on Standards in Public Life, SN/PC/04888, 11 November 2008
23. Web site: Committee on Standards in Public Life: Terms of reference . GOV.UK . 29 November 2021 . en.
24. First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (1995). p. 14.
25. Web site: Macaskill. Ewen. 2 October 1996. Blair's promise - Everyone can be a winner. live. 24 November 2021. The Guardian. https://web.archive.org/web/20151014012817/http://www.theguardian.com/education/1996/oct/02/schools.uk . 14 October 2015 .
26. Annual Report 2010–11 (2011). p. 14.
27. Web site: 21 June 2013. Scottish independence: The 200 bodies 'needed post-independence'. live. 24 November 2021. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20130624103202/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-22993752 . 24 June 2013 .
28. Web site: Terms of reference. 17 November 2015.
29. News: Christopher. McKeon. 1 November 2021. Public 'visibly angry' over Covid scandals, sleaze watchdog finds. The Evening Standard. 25 November 2021.
30. Web site: Scott. Jennifer. 1 November 2021. Toughen up rules on ministers' conduct, says standards watchdog. live. 24 November 2021. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20211101032943/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59110649 . 1 November 2021 .
31. News: Woodcock. Andrew. 23 August 2021. Diversity warning over sleaze watchdog after appointment of PM's university friend leaves it all-white. The Independent. 19 October 2021.
32. Web site: BBC. 16 July 2021. Boris Johnson's university friend gets ethics watchdog role. BBC/news. 16 July 2021.
33. Web site: Syal. Rajeev. 15 July 2021. Ex-Bullingdon Club member appointed to Whitehall's sleaze watchdog. live. 24 November 2021. The Guardian. https://web.archive.org/web/20210715203939/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/15/ex-bullingdon-club-member-appointed-to-whitehalls-sleaze-watchdog . 15 July 2021 .
34. Web site: Appointment of Lord Evans of Weardale as Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life . publications.parliament.uk . Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee - House of Commons . 29 November 2021. Includes list of previous chairs as section 8
35. Web site: 24 April 2007. New Chair appointed to the Committee on Standands in Public Life. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100112050859/http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page11516. 12 January 2010. 13 December 2021. Number10.gov.uk.
36. Annual Report 2010–11 (2011). p. 16.
37. Prime Minister appoints new committee chairs . 28 October 2018 . Cabinet Office; Prime Minister's Office .