Found: First, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill is stage 1 in a process.

Found: Q30 Linsey Farnsworth: I will ask Rohini Jana the following question regarding the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Correspondence from Cindy Butts, Independent Public Advocate to the Committee regarding Public Office (accountability) Bill

Found: It may also be worth noting that the Public Office (Accountability) Bill (also known as “the Hillsborough

Found: that the current Government is pursuing other aspects of the Hillsborough Law via the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: justice, and Ministry of Justice legislation, such as the Sentencing Bill and the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: You may know already that a week ago we had the Second Reading of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: COMMONS INTRODUCTION I wanted to confirm that the Government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: COMMONS INTRODUCTION I wanted to confirm that the Government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: In parallel, the Government is giving ongoing consideration to the content of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what level of legal aid they envisage being made available for each individual bereaved person and family at inquests in England and Wales for (1) legal help, and (2) advocacy, under the provisions of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill will provide non-means tested legal aid to bereaved family members at any inquests where a public authority is named as an interested person.

Under the Bill, an “individual” is defined as being a member of another individual’s family if they are relatives (whether of the full blood or half blood or by marriage or civil partnership), they are cohabitants (as defined in Part 4 25 of the Family Law Act 1996), or one has parental responsibility for the other.

Legal aid consists of legal help and advocacy.

a. Legal help covers advice, assistance and preparation for an inquest but not advocacy at the hearing. Under the Bill’s expansion, multiple bereaved family members will be able to receive non-means tested legal help services where a public authority is named as an interested person.

b. Advocacy covers the instruction of an advocate (usually a barrister) to prepare for and attend the inquest hearing(s) to make submissions. The Bill limits advocacy funding to one member of each family – in practice, this level of service will be granted to the first family member to apply. We believe that one legally aided advocate should in most cases be sufficient to support each family through the inquest hearing and that it is reasonable to ask members of the same family to collaborate in the instruction of a single advocate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to hold public bodies to account in the light of the findings of the report Hillsborough Disaster: The report of the IOPC and Operation Resolve investigations, published on 2 December.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The unlawful killing of 97 people at Hillsborough 36 years ago remains a stain on our nation’s history, and publication of the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) report serves as a stark reminder of one of the most significant failings in policing the country has ever seen.

The IOPC’s report is clear there was a lack of candour from the police officers involved. Thanks to the tireless campaigning of the families and survivors of the Hillsborough disaster, this Government is introducing the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, otherwise known as the Hillsborough Law. This landmark legislation will place a new legal duty of candour on all public servants and authorities, requiring them to act truthfully and to fully support inquests, investigations and inquiries. It will also bring clarity to the offence of Misconduct in Public Office by placing it on a statutory footing, introduce a new criminal offence of misleading the public, and provide legal aid for victims of disasters and state-related deaths.

Whilst it is extremely frustrating that none of the police officers named in the IOPC’s report will face disciplinary action, the Policing and Crime Act 2017 now ensures that police officers cannot evade misconduct proceedings by retiring or resigning, meaning this failing can never be repeated.

These measures directly respond to the failings identified by the IOPC and ensure that, if a similar situation were to arise today, those responsible would be held to account.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make representations to the South Yorkshire Police Federation concerning its response to the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s report The Hillsborough Disaster, published on 2 December.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

I firmly reject the statement issued by the South Yorkshire Police Federation.

The unlawful killing of 97 people at Hillsborough 36 years ago remains a stain on our nation’s history, and publication of the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) report serves as a stark reminder of one of the most significant failings in policing the country has ever seen.

The conduct and criminal investigations were undertaken with the best of intentions and in the wider public interest.

It is extremely frustrating that none of these officers will face disciplinary action, as all of them had retired before the legislation that is now in place. This legislation means that police officers cannot evade misconduct proceedings by retiring or resigning, so these failings can never be repeated.

The IOPC’s report is clear there was a lack of candour from the officers involved. Thanks to the tireless campaigning of the families and survivors of Hillsborough, this Government is introducing the Hillsborough Law [Public Office (Accountability) Bill] which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the independent investigation of the activities of the orthopaedic surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital by Verita, published on 29 October, and whether it informed the duty of candour and assistance proposed in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 19 November 2025, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety met with a number of families to discuss how they have been impacted by surgeries carried out by Kuldeep Stohr, and also considered the report by Verita, published on 29 October 2025, into the missed opportunities by the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH). The report made for difficult reading and highlighted multiple missed opportunities in clinical oversight, leadership, and governance to address concerns that were previously raised about Ms Stohr’s clinical practice.

The trust board has accepted the findings and recommendations of the Verita investigation in full and is committed to delivering systemic and transparent change. The Government is assured that NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, the integrated care board, and Healthwatch will provide independent assurance that the trust is fully implementing all recommendations, ensuring accountability, transparency, and measurable improvements in patient safety. The trust is also establishing a new Patient Advisory Board and Young Patients’ Advisory Board to ensure that the CUH’s response delivers meaningful and patient-centred improvement.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill was published on 16 September 2025. The duty of candour and assistance in the bill was not informed by the Verita report. The bill responds to long-standing demands for openness and transparency from families affected by major institutional failures such as those seen in Hillsborough as well as the Horizon and Infected Blood scandals.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what sanctions are provided for in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill in response to serious wrongdoing by police officers.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill creates four new criminal offences:

1. Failing to comply with the duty of candour and assistance;

2. Misleading the public;

3. Seriously improper acts; and

4. Breach of duty to prevent death or serious injury.

Police officers may be prosecuted for any or all of these.

The offences of failing to comply with the duty of candour and assistance and misleading the public have a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The seriously improper acts offence has a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. The breach of duty to prevent death or serious injury offence has a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the anticipated commencement dates for each of the provisions in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government will not delay bringing the measures in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill into force.

We are urgently looking at what is required effectively to implement each of the measures.

We will update the House in due course on the planned timeline for implementation and commencement.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take legislative steps to require public sector organisations to publish reports on (a) internal culture, (b) risk management and (c) the implementation of inquiry recommendations.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is currently progressing through parliament. The legislation will include a requirement that all public bodies establish a professional duty of candour for staff set out within a wider code of ethics. This obligation will require public bodies to promote the ethical conduct of their employees. The Government will drive forward implementation with determination and hold public sector organisations accountable. Public Sector leaders will join ministers on a dedicated new implementation board to monitor progress.

Public inquiries are independent of Government and can make recommendations of their choosing. Government takes the recommendations of inquiries very seriously, and determines which recommendations it accepts. To ensure clarity and transparency of progress on the recommendations that Government has accepted, we have established a record on GOV.UK of inquiry recommendations, starting with the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and Infected Blood Inquiry. This will be periodically updated and expanded to capture future inquiry recommendations. This will be an enduring mechanism for monitoring and tracking government implementation of inquiry recommendations. It will allow the public to track the progress of implementation enhancing public trust in Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the provisions in chapter 2 of part 2 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will (a) apply to councillors and (b) be in addition to section 28 of the Localism Act 2011.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Code of Ethics requirement will apply to those working for public authorities, and therefore will not apply to elected officials, including councillors. Elected officials have a different relationship with institutions and are accountable to the public, not employers.

There are different arrangements for governing behaviour of elected officials. The Government recently consulted on a range of proposals to strengthen the current local government standards regime.

The response to the consultation will be published shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has considered establishing a cross-Governmental oversight body to monitor Departmental compliance with the legal aid elements of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Bill expands the scope of legal aid, allowing bereaved families to access legal help and advocacy for inquests whenever a public authority is an Interested Person without means testing. By bringing advocacy into scope, the Bill removes the requirement for families to navigate the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) process to access representation at these inquests.

The legal aid provisions will be enshrined in law and administered by the Legal Aid Agency. Therefore, a cross-government oversight body to monitor compliance has not been considered during the Bill’s development.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill on (a) the (i) processing and (ii) public interest considerations of Freedom of Information Act requests and (b) how Ministers reply to written Parliamentary Questions.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The provisions in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill are not intended to have any impact on the processing or public interest considerations of Freedom of Information Act requests. The Bill does not alter the existing law or guidance about how public authorities are required to respond to freedom of information requests or the expectations on ministers in replying to written Parliamentary Questions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of section 1 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill on judicial reviews of (a) public bodies and (b) Ministerial decisions.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Clause 1 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill sets out that the purpose of the Bill is to ensure that public authorities and public officials at all times perform their functions (a) with candour, transparency and frankness, and (b) in the public interest. Clause 1 then sets out how the remainder of the Bill achieves that purpose.

Clause 1 does not in itself establish new obligations subject to judicial review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support his Department provides to bereaved families awaiting coroner's inquests.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. However, as coroner services are locally funded and administered, operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the recently introduced Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the provisions in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will apply to (a) town and (b) parish councillors.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill reforms abolish the common law offence of misconduct in public office and introduce two new offences: seriously improper acts and breach of duty to prevent death or serious injury. These new offences apply to elected officials, including town and parish councillors.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of clause 3(2)(a) of the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill on freedom of speech.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill - known as the ‘Hillsborough Law’ - was introduced in Parliament on 16 September 2025. The Bill includes a new offence of misleading the public. It applies where a public authority or public official acts with the intention of misleading the public (or is reckless as to that possibility) and they know, or ought to know, that their act is seriously improper. This offence has been designed with Hillsborough at the front of mind and is intended to capture the most serious instances of public officials or authorities misleading the public.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to ensure (a) Rt hon. and hon. Members and (b) other elected representatives are held to account for (i) misleading the public and (ii) repeating inaccurate information.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Honesty is one of the Seven Principles of Public Life, which form the ethical basis of officeholders' standards in public life. All officeholders, including MPs and other elected representatives, have a responsibility to provide accurate information to the public.

For MPs, the Seven Principles are enshrined in the Commons Code of Conduct. The House has mechanisms available to ensure MPs uphold these standards, and individual MPs are directly accountable to their constituents.

Regarding locally elected representatives, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the standards framework for local authorities in England in December 2024. The Government's response will be issued in due course.

In addition, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, introduced on 16th September, contains an offence of misleading the public. This applies where a public authority or public official acts with the intention of misleading the public (or is reckless as to that possibility) and they know, or ought to know, that their act is seriously improper. The definition of ‘public official’ for this purpose includes ministers.

Found: Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2024-26: Progress of the bill

Found: (Correction to division list on 6 November 2002 640 c862) Public Office (Accountability) Bill 03

Found: Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2024-26

Found: 09-02 Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Mayor of Greater Manchester To discuss the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Greater Manchester

Found: Nick Thomas-Symonds 2025-06-30 Mayor of ManchesterMayor of Liverpool To discuss the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Mayor of Liverpool

Found: In line with Law Commission recommendations, we will proceed (through the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Public Office (Accountability) Bill: Misconduct in Public Office Measures Background The Government

Found: 1 Title: Public Office (Accountability) Bill: Misconduct in Public Office Measures IA No:

Found: And so the “duty of candour” provisions in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill w ill include three

Found: 1 Public Office (Accountability) Bill – Equalities Impact Assessment for the Parity of arms measures

Found: Public Office (Accountability) Bill: Parity of Arms Factsheet Background At the first Hillsborough

Found: 1 Title: Public Office (Accountability) Bill – Parity of Arms measures IA No: MOJ033

Found: 1 Public Office (Accountability) Bill – Equalities Impact Assessment for the Misconduct in Public

Found: 1 Public Office (Accountability) Bill – Equalities Impact Assessment for the Duty of Candour Measures

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill – otherwise known as the Hillsborough Law – introduced to Parliament

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill (also known as the Hillsborough Bill) is currently before Parliament

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill – to be known as the Hillsborough Law – will introduce seismic

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill (also known as the Hillsborough Bill) is currently before Parliament

Found: currently providing or interested in providing advice and representation under the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill (also known as the Hillsborough Bill) is currently before Parliament

Found: arrangements, in line with the planned forthcoming obligations of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: 2nd October 2025 LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: The Public Office Accountability Bill - not yet enacted - will impose a duty on public authorities and

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (No 2) Public Office (Accountability) Bill 1.

Found: December 2025 The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: consider and report on the Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (No.2) on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: 302 MAB11 Transparency International UK 303 MAB10 Paul Evans and Sir Paul Silk 304 Public Office (Accountability) Bill