Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the level of funding for all party parliamentary groups (APPGs) received from the private sector since 2018 with public interest; and if he will hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of regulating the provision of corporate funding and benefits in-kind to APPGs.

The rules governing APPGs are ultimately a matter for the House. I welcome the Committee on Standards’ recent report ‘All-Party Parliamentary Groups: improving governance and regulation’ which is available on its website (https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/22081/documents/163809/default/). As the Committee notes, APPGs contribute to the work of Parliament, providing an informal framework for cross-party and bicameral work and facilitating access to the political system for many organisations and individuals who might perhaps be excluded. I welcome the Committee’s suggestion of the House carefully considering the regulation and transparency of the funding and support of APPGs. Ultimately, any decisions on how to improve the regulation and functioning of APPGs will be for the House to make as a whole and I look forward to seeing the Committee's final proposals for reform in this area.