Found: be aware that this committee is also very interested in the Hillsborough Law, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: development of clear codes of conduct that will complement the new requirement from the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill defines ethical conduct following the Nolan principles.

Found: Justice Campaign (2025) Written Evidence Submitted to the House of Commons, Public Office Accountability Bill

Found: The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, that you just mentioned, aims

Found: potentially need to take lessons for the implementation, as we go forward, of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: potentially need to take lessons for the implementation, as we go forward, of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: that I think will make a real difference in this sphere is the Hillsborough law, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's publication entitled A message from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the Civil Service, published on 8 July 2024, what steps Cabinet Office has the taken to deliver on the Prime Minister's commitment to deliver open and transparent government.

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

Since the General Election, the UK government has introduced a new monthly Register of Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality, is working to deliver the Public Office (Accountability) Bill to introduce new duties of candour, has revised and strengthened the Ministerial Code and strengthened the role of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. In addition, the government has recently launched the call for evidence to inform the next National Action Plan for Open Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that individuals involved in civil justice proceedings who do not have substantial financial means to obtain barristers or paid legal advice are afforded adequate protections, support and access to justice.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Supporting access to justice for everyone in England and Wales is a key objective for this Government, and the Government recognises the important role that legal aid plays in helping some of the most vulnerable in society access legal advice.

Individuals who are unable to pay for legal advice or representation for civil justice issues may be eligible for legal aid, subject to the scope of legal aid and the eligibility rules on financial thresholds and the merits of the case as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and its supporting secondary legislation. Applications must generally pass a means and merits test. The means test assesses an applicant’s financial eligibility (including their capital e.g. savings), income and access to welfare benefits. The merits test assesses the merits of the case including the likelihood of success and the benefit to the applicant.

This Government is delivering the first major fee uplift for civil legal aid since 1996, investing an estimated £20 million in housing and immigration law once fully implemented. In addition, the Government’s Public Office (Accountability) Bill will provide the largest expansion of civil legal aid in a decade by ensuring bereaved families have access to non-means tested legal aid for all inquests where a public authority is an interested person.

The Government also continues to fund the activities of advice charities to bolster the delivery of legal support services – both in person and online - for people experiencing civil justice problems. The Ministry of Justice is providing nearly £20 million of multi-year funding, extending our existing legal support grant programmes for 59 frontline organisations (including a range of services such as some regional Citizens Advice and Law Centres, other community-based advice services, and online information) to September 2026 to help people resolve legal issues, and providing a new grant that will run from October 2026 to March 2029. We are also working with the sector, via the Legal Support Strategy Delivery Group, to drive improvements to the sector.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his department has assessed the extent to which water companies, as statutory undertakers with statutory monopolies, will fall within the scope of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

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

The legal framework for the provision of water and sewage services varies significantly across the UK. In England and Wales, services are delivered by private companies (including not-for-profit organisations), whilst in Scotland and Northern Ireland services are delivered by publicly owned companies. The Bill is drafted so that the duty of candour and offence of misleading the public apply to all water companies when they exercise public functions. The Code of Conduct provisions would apply to the publicly owned water companies in Scotland and Northern Ireland and their workers, but not private companies in England and Wales.

In relation to the Misconduct in Public Office offences at Part 3 of the Bill, Schedule 4 sets out a definitive list of roles which make someone a “public office holder” for the purposes of these offences. Most roles are listed specifically in the Schedule, paragraph 22 is more general. It captures “Other public bodies and offices” who fulfil three criteria: (a) the body or office is established by statute, a Minister, government department, or under the Royal Prerogative; (b) appointments to the office are made by the Crown, a Minister, or government department, or (in the case of a body) appointments to the body are wholly or mainly made in that way; and (c) in that office or body they are exercising functions of a public nature.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her department has had with Ofwat, the Environment Agency, and Natural England regarding the application of the duty of candour to water companies in relation to the duties and offences in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026.

To truly turn around the water sector we need the right people in to do the job. We want the sector to be attractive to high quality senior leaders, acting in the public interest, who can lead change from the top.

To achieve this, the Government committed in the White Paper to consider taking forward a new regime for senior accountability. This would be carefully designed to ensure senior leaders are directly accountable for the service customers receive, whilst still allowing water companies to appoint capable leadership.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will explicitly apply to all universities.

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

The duty of candour and assistance will apply to any body when exercising public functions. This would capture some aspects of the work of universities and other Higher Education Institutions. The duty also extends to those with a relevant health and safety responsibility; as well as relevant public sector contractors.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to provide an update on progress made in implementing the recommendations of the report from the Statutory Inquiries Committee Public inquiries: Enhancing public trust (HL Paper 9).

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are grateful for the work of the House of Lords statutory inquiries committee and its report published in September 2024, to which the government responded in February 2025.

As set out in that response the Cabinet Office will publish The Inquiry Practitioners' Handbook in due course. The Government has also launched a publicly accessible tracker reporting progress on inquiry recommendations and amended the Ministerial Code to ensure Cabinet Office policy expertise informs decisions on establishing a public inquiry and agreeing terms of reference.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is also progressing in parliament, making non-statutory inquiries much more powerful options.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to carry out inquests.

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

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

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. 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 England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the 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, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of inquest delays on bereaved families.

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

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

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. 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 England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the 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, how many inquests are currently in progress in England as of 11 March 2026.

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

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

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. 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 England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the 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 he has had recent discussions with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners on reducing the length of time for inquests.

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

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

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. 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 England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the 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, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for coroner inquests to be completed on bereaved families in England.

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

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

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. 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 England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, will fundamentally alter the relationship between those who govern and the people they serve.

The Bill, once passed into law, will introduce substantial changes, including a new professional and legal Duty of Candour for public officials, meaning they must act with honesty and integrity at all times, or be met with criminal sanctions for serious breaches.

This Bill will bring forth the biggest expansion in legal aid in a generation, by making provision for publicly funded legal representation for bereaved families at inquests in which the state is an interested party.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to help support defence organisations to meet their obligations under the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Al Carns) on 16 July 2025 to Question 65995 to the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Sorcha Eastwood).

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-07-08/65995

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of exceptions for (a) Military Intelligence Services and (b) Special Forces operators under the Hillsborough Law.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps under continual review the implications of proposed legislation for Defence activities, including those undertaken by the most sensitive parts of Defence and the Armed Forces.

Work is ongoing across the MOD to ensure that all Defence organisations can meet their legal obligations under the forthcoming Hillsborough Law, while also maintaining the necessary protections for highly sensitive operational capabilities and broader National Security.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill on the intelligence services.

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

The Bill will apply to all public authorities, including the intelligence services. At Second Reading of the Bill, the Prime Minister was clear that the duty of candour would need to apply in a particular way to the intelligence services to get the right balance. We are clear that nothing should undermine our national security.

We are continuing to work closely with families, stakeholders and the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee to bring forward amendments that achieve this balance. We will update the House in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the maximum amount of non-means-tested legal aid that they envisage being made available for each individual bereaved person and family at inquests in England and Wales for (1) legal assistance, and (2) advocacy, under the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

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

The Bill will provide non-means tested legal help and advocacy for bereaved families at inquests where a public authority is named as an interested person. As under the current system, the amount paid will depend on the work carried out by the provider on the inquest, which will be different for each case depending on its duration and complexity.

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.

Found: Bill 2024–26 Pension Schemes Bill 5 June 202534 Pension Schemes Bill 2024– 25 Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: The UK has recently published the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law

Found: It is also why the Government have introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill—a landmark piece

Found: In addition, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill - better known as the Hillsborough Law - will embed

Found: The government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill – also known as the Hillsborough

Found: 2020, the Government is in the process of implementing changes to this offence in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: the Government is in the process of implementing changes to this offence in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: 2020, the Government is in the process of implementing changes to this offence in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

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

Found: Greater Manchester

Found: The government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill – also known as the Hillsborough

Found: Ministerial level will be pivotal in driving this cultural changemembers discussed the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: recommended Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill (supplementary) 17/12/2025 Consent recommended Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: welcome correspondence in Welsh or English. 6 March 2026 Legislative Consent: Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (No 3) 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

Found: consider and report on the Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (No.3) on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

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

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

Found: Background The UK Government’s Public Office (Accountability) Bill 1.

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (No 3) Public Office (Accountability) Bill 1.

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (No 3) Public Office (Accountability) Bill 1.

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (No 3) Public Office (Accountability) Bill 1.

Found: senedd.wales 18 March 2026 Dear Mike, Following the scrutiny report on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Procurement Bill,247 the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill,248 and the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: Procurement Bill,247 the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill,248 and the Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Found: welcome correspondence in Welsh or English. 6 March 2026 Legislative Consent: Public Office (Accountability) Bill