Propriety of governance in light of Greensill

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 11 May 2022 Closed: 9 Oct 2023 Parliament page
The collapse of Greensill Capital and the subsequent revelations about its relationship with government and Whitehall have raised significant concerns about the propriety of governance in this country. In April 2021, PACAC launched an inquiry into the effectiveness of rules to prevent conflicts of interest and regulation of access by … Read more
13 Recommendations
29 Conclusions
2 Reports
9 Oral sessions
7 Letters
9 Events
Activity timeline 28 events
25 Jul
2023
Correspondence
25 Jul
2023
Correspondence
21 Jul
2023
Report published
2 Dec
2022
Report published
12 Jul
2022
Oral evidence
12 Jul
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
28 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
28 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
9 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
9 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
17 May
2022
Oral evidence
17 May
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 9 sessions
12 Jul 2022
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH
28 Jun 2022
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
Darren Tierney · Department for International Trade Simon Case CVO · Cabinet Office
9 Jun 2022
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
Rt Hon Lord Pickles · Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
17 May 2022
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
Rt Hon Sir Peter Riddell CBE · Cabinet Office
15 Mar 2022
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Propriety of Governance in Light of Greensill (Ministerial Code)
Sir Alex Allan · House of Commons Sir Philip Mawer · House of Commons
11 Jan 2022
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
The Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL · Committee on Standards in Public Life
2 Nov 2021
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
Nigel Boardman
13 Jul 2021
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
8 Jun 2021
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Propriety of governance in light of Greensill
Bill Crothers · Cabinet Office Ian Watmore · Cabinet Office Sir John Manzoni KCB · Cabinet Office The Rt Hon Lord Maude of Horsham · Member of the House of Lords
Recommendations & Conclusions
8 results
Clear
3 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
The Government has told us that it is exploring contractual mechanisms to ensure that the...
The Government has told us that it is exploring contractual mechanisms to ensure that the Business Appointment Rules are legally enforceable. We support this. In its response to this report, the Government should outline the form that this will take … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees that the Rules should be incorporated more effectively into contracts and is committed to developing a ‘ministerial deed’ which will be designed to legally commit ministers to the Rules, and any resulting conditions, in the same manner as civil servants; this will allow the Government to explore further sanctions, such as financial penalties, if and where such breaches occur.
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4 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
Enforcement and the ability to sanction those that breach the Rules is fundamental to ensuring...
Enforcement and the ability to sanction those that breach the Rules is fundamental to ensuring a regulatory regime that commands public confidence. This could be achieved by the Government pursuing those who do not comply with their obligations under the … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees that the Rules should be incorporated more effectively into contracts and is committed to developing a ‘ministerial deed’ which will be designed to legally commit ministers to the Rules, and any resulting conditions, in the same manner as civil servants; this will allow the Government to explore further sanctions, such as financial penalties, if and where such breaches occur.
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7 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
We do not think that a system based solely around voluntary compliance with general principles...
We do not think that a system based solely around voluntary compliance with general principles is sufficient to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the system regulating the ‘revolving door’ and have recommended that the Business Appointment Rules are … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees that the Rules should be incorporated more effectively into contracts and is committed to developing a ‘ministerial deed’ which will be designed to legally commit ministers to the Rules, and any resulting conditions, in the same manner as civil servants; this will allow the Government to explore further sanctions, such as financial penalties, if and where such breaches occur.
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13 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
This Committee, alongside other Select Committees, has tried to accommodate the Government when pre-appointment hearings...
This Committee, alongside other Select Committees, has tried to accommodate the Government when pre-appointment hearings have needed to be completed urgently, scheduling them at short notice and reporting almost immediately. However, this has now become routine. Our predecessor Committee was … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the Committee's concerns about the pre-appointment process, stating that sufficient time must be allowed for this stage to be completed. It also notes the close relationship required for the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests to be a direct ministerial appointment.
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16 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
The letters of engagement issued to direct appointments are tantamount to a contract of employment.
The letters of engagement issued to direct appointments are tantamount to a contract of employment. They state the purpose for which the appointment is being made, the term length, and their accountability. These letters should be shared with the Chair … Read more
Government Response
The government is strengthening and clarifying compliance arrangements across departments.
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17 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
Recent events have demonstrated the impact of the perceived lack of independence and authority of...
Recent events have demonstrated the impact of the perceived lack of independence and authority of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests on public confidence in the integrity of the conduct of Ministers. In addition to advising on mitigating Ministers’ conflicts … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that transparency of the Business Appointments Rules and how the process is administered is essential to ensure that the public can have confidence in it and that the recommended information should be published. However, the specifics of the data to be published may need to be amended given the planned system will move from an application-based system to a contractual one.
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19 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
Concerns about the process for appointing the Independent Adviser are longstanding.
Concerns about the process for appointing the Independent Adviser are longstanding. The independence and integrity of the postholder are fundamental to their ability to carry out the role. As with the other standards watchdogs, the power of the Prime Minister … Read more
Government Response
The government keeps the honours, whistleblowing and recruitment processes under continuous review.
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20 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Propriety of Gover…
We welcome that the Terms of Reference for the Independent Adviser now effectively include the...
We welcome that the Terms of Reference for the Independent Adviser now effectively include the authority to initiate inquiries. We would expect the requirement that Prime Ministers’ consent be given beforehand to be used in extremely limited cases, such as … Read more
Government Response
The government states that the Independent Adviser may now initiate an investigation having consulted the Prime Minister, and is clear that consent would only be withheld in exceptional circumstances, where the Prime Minister considers there are public interest reasons for doing so; there are transparency obligations if an investigation doesn't proceed.
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Government Response AI assessment · 25 of 13 classified
Accepted 3
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 8
Not Addressed 9
Rejected 4
Total 13 recs + 29 conclusions
Correspondence 7 letters
25 Jul 2023 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the Government Response - Propriety of Governance in Light of Greensill, dated 20.7.23
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25 Jul 2023 From committee Letter to Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the Government's response to PACAC report on Greensill (and other matters), dated 21.7.23
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23 Jun 2021 To committee Letter from Suzanne Heywood on Propriety of governance in light of Greensill, dated 14.6.21
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23 Jun 2021 To committee Letter from John Manzoni on Propriety of governance in light of Greensill, dated 15.6.21
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25 May 2021 Correspondence with Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary on propriety and ethics in Government, dated 27.4.21, 14.5.21 and 20.5.21
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26 Apr 2021 To committee Letter from Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary on management of outside interests by the Civil Service, dated 23.04.21
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26 Apr 2021 To committee Letter from Chair to Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary on Audit of Civil Service dual roles and secondments, dated 15.4.21
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