Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to improve the operation and efficacy of the Business Appointment Rules since the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments met the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution in respect of that matter in April 2021.

The Government is working with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) to improve the operation and efficacy of the Business Appointment Rules. ACOBA has introduced a framework for risk-based consideration of cases, greater transparency and improved reporting of breaches. The Government supports these changes. The Cabinet Office is also leading a programme of work which aims to improve: the scope and clarity of the Rules; the consistency and proportionality of their implementation across government; and enforcement of the Rules.

The recommendations from Nigel Boardman’s report into the development and use of supply chain finance in government, as well as the Standards Matter 2 report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life, will be considered as a part of this work.