Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what oversight mechanisms are available to Parliament to ensure the independence of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.

When the Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) was established, it was given the responsibility to report annually to the Prime Minister on the health of standards in public life. The EIC published its first such letter on 13 October.

The remit of the EIC is to promote the highest standards in public life and to maintain an independent oversight of the standards landscape. The Commission is comprised of an independent chair, six additional independent members, and political members nominated by the leaders of the three largest political parties in the House of Commons.

Parliament has a range of mechanisms, including through Committees, to scrutinise the work of the EIC and its independence.