Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many requests for investigations into the conduct of ministers has the Director General of the Propriety and Ethics Team received in the last 12 months.

The Ministerial Code sets out the process for investigations into the conduct of Ministers:

“If there is an allegation about a breach of the Code, and the Prime Minister, having consulted the Cabinet Secretary, feels that it warrants further investigation, he may ask the Cabinet Office to investigate the facts of the case and/or refer the matter to the independent adviser on Ministers’ interests.”

The published reports of the independent adviser on Ministers’ interests contain information about investigations conducted in response to allegations about the conduct of Ministers.