Select committee calls for ‘Parliament first’ reset on policy announcements

The call comes in a recent report from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC), Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code, which called on the Government to re-commit to the ‘Parliament First’ approach when announcing new policies.

The committee inquiry was launched last year after the Speaker of the House wrote to PACAC about ministers breaching the code by announcing the 'most important’ policies to the media before addressing Parliament.

In its report, the committee acknowledged that the media environment has "changed significantly" in recent years, with the provisions on making the most important statements of government policy to Parliament first have “remained substantively the same” since the Code was introduced in 1997".

"It may well be the case that this section of the Code needs to be modernised to reflect the ‘Parliament first’ principle while also recognising that governments must seek to communicate their policies effectively to the public they serve," the report said.

If that is not the Government’s preference, then a consultation with MPs and the Speaker’s Office should be undertaken on how to ensure the Code is revised in order to reflect the evolved demands of media, the Committee said.

PACAC also stated that it expects the Government to consult Parliament on any substantial rewriting of the Code.

If the Code remains unchanged, then major planned policy announcements when the House is not in session should be restricted to those which are time sensitive or otherwise exceptional, the report added.

Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Simon Hoare MP, said the ministerial code is a "crucial mechanism for ensuring accountability to Members of Parliament and, therefore, the public".

He added: “If Ministers are not willing to follow the current principles of the Code, a way forward should be found in consultation with MPs and the Speaker.

"We cannot have a continuation of the Speaker reprimanding Ministers in the Chamber, for the Minister to offer some sort of apology or justification only for the same breach of the Code to happen a few weeks later."

“A failure to address this issue risks perpetuating the cycle of growing discontent between Parliament and the Government. It is in everyone’s best interests to avoid this.”

Adam Carey