Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Ministers: Declarations of Interest

Thursday 23 November 2023 · 2 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The assessment of Ministers' interests includes declarations and advice from permanent secretaries and an independent adviser.
  • Ministers' interests are managed as part of a network of ethics systems.
  • Lord Cameron's domicile history was questioned but not addressed directly by the Minister.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Linden SNP
Standards & Ethics
Context

There is concern over the adequacy of the list of Ministers' interests in ensuring proper declaration and avoidance of conflicts.

Question

What assessment has been made of the adequacy of the list of Ministers' interests in ensuring that Ministers (a) declare and (b) avoid any conflict of interest?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

There is an established regime under which Ministers' interests are declared and managed. Ministers seek the advice of their permanent secretaries and the independent adviser on Ministers' interests, who reports twice yearly. This is but one element of a network of ethics systems, including the ministerial code and the business appointment rules, which uphold the highest standards in Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific assessment requested was not provided; instead, general assurances about existing processes were given.

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Q2 David Linden SNP
Standards & Ethics
Context

There is concern over Lord Cameron's domicile and whether it complies with the ethics systems.

Question

The Minister says that there is “a network of ethics systems” for the appointment of Ministers, so let me ask a simple question: when was the last time Lord Cameron was not domiciled in the UK?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

That is a question for Lord Cameron, but I would be amazed if he had not been domiciled in this country for his entire life.

Not addressed: The question was not answered directly; instead, it was deferred to Lord Cameron himself.

How: That Is A Question For Lord Cameron

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