Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the appointment of the (a) chair and (b) members of the Ethics and Integrity Committee will be (i) a regulated public appointment and (ii) subject to Select Committee pre-appointment scrutiny.

We are restoring confidence in government and the highest standards in public life and have already taken steps to improve probity and transparency, including through issuing a new Ministerial Code which highlights the importance of the principles of public life, by strengthening the terms of reference for the Independent Adviser, and by introducing a new monthly Register of Gifts and Hospitality.

An update on the Ethics and Integrity Commission will be provided in due course.