Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Propriety in Public Life

Thursday 7 September 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial steps include a wide-ranging programme of reform announced in July to uphold high standards of integrity and propriety.
  • The response to the inquiry about the former Member for Mid Bedfordshire emphasizes the current Member's dedication to working in the constituency.
  • The Secretary of State reported that over 3 billion has been recovered in the past two years to address fraud and error losses.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Justin Madders Lab Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Standards & Ethics
Context

MP asked about steps to ensure high standards of propriety in public life.

Question

What steps he is taking to help ensure high standards of propriety in public life.

Answer from Oliver Dowden

This Government will uphold the highest standards of integrity and propriety. In July, a wide-ranging programme of reform was announced acting on recommendations from Nigel Boardman, the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Public Administration Committee.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify what the reforms are or how they will be implemented

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Q2 Mohammad Yasin Lab Bedford
Standards & Ethics
Context

MP questioned the former Member for Mid Bedfordshire's failure to serve their constituents properly.

Question

We have all heard that the former Member for Mid Bedfordshire failed to speak in this House for more than a year and that her farcical resignation, which was to have “immediate effect”, took nearly three months, but what about the years when there was no constituency office listed for people to make representations to? Does the Secretary of State agree that the good people of Mid Bedfordshire deserve a hard-working, full-time Labour MP such as Alistair Strathern instead?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

The people of Mid Bedfordshire deserve a hard-working Member of Parliament who lives and works in the constituency, and in Festus they will find exactly that. I have every confidence that they will return him to this House in the by-election next month.

Not addressed: Did not address the criticism about the former MP or the suggestion of an alternative candidate

How: Changed Subject To Future Election Results

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Q3 Justin Madders Lab Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Standards & Ethics
Context

MP raised concerns about the Prime Minister's integrity after multiple points of order.

Question

At the conclusion of Prime Minister's questions yesterday, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester Central made a point of order, picking up on a statement made by the Prime Minister that she described as “categorically untrue”. This is about the sixth or seventh time this year that we have had to make such points of order about the Prime Minister. How can we have any confidence that we are going to get high standards in public life if this keeps happening?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

That is simply not the case. If the hon. Gentleman had listened to the exchange, he would have heard that the Prime Minister answered comprehensively every question raised by the Leader of the Opposition and demonstrated a far greater understanding of the detail of this than that demonstrated by his opposite number.

Not addressed: Did not address the issue of repeated points of order or suggest any measures to improve standards in public life

How: Attacked The Opposition For Not Listening Properly

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Q4 Kirsty Blackman SNP Aberdeen North
Economy Employment
Context

MP questioned the government's commitment to recovering misused funds.

Question

Last year, the Prime Minister said that his Government would do “everything we can” to recover covid fraud losses, yet only £21 million—only 2%—has been recovered from fraudsters. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to fulfil his Government's pledge to reclaim misused taxpayer money? Or is that, like the Prime Minister's promise of integrity and accountability, another failed vow?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

During the crisis, we saw decisive action by the then Chancellor to save the economy and millions of jobs. Since moving out of the covid period, we are taking action to recover fraud and error losses. In the past two years alone, more than £3 billion has been recovered.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the specific criticisms about low recovery rates or previous promises

How: Focused On Overall Economic Impact Rather Than Fraud Recovery

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