Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what precedents there are for undertaking a consultation exercise before commencing a section of an act of Parliament, other than one dealing with secondary or delegated legislation under the relevant act.

A revised set of consultation principles was published in 2016 to give clear guidance to government departments on consultations. These principles are attached to this answer.

These do not provide exact criteria for when consultations should and should not be undertaken, as it is important to consider the specific circumstances for each policy. The Government is committed to engaging with the public and other interested parties through formal and informal consultation, in the most appropriate manner for the policy in question.