Leader of the House

Government is working hard to prepare the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament in the usual way. The programme will be announced in the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 7th November.

Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s legislative programme and manifesto commitments. So far this session, 30 Government Bills have reached Royal Assent. In addition, the Government has worked with members on all sides of the House to deliver 16 private members' bills. Details of all Acts of Parliament can be found on legislation.gov.uk.

Parliament has shown that it provides flexibility in debating legislation and adapts when necessary, for example the passage of the Coronavirus Act and the recent legislation relating to the Northern Ireland budget.

Public trust and confidence in our democracy and its institutions is vital and this is something which I am keen to promote as Leader of the House.

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the Hon. Member to the response to be provided by the Cabinet Office (196755).

The Parliamentary Capability Team provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades. Their training is designed in partnership with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, the Leaders and Government Whips Offices in both Houses, and departmental parliamentary and legislative teams.

Since April 2022, the Parliamentary Capability Team has delivered a total of 15,933 training interventions (attendance at courses and events, and e-learning courses completed).

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in promoting parliamentary capability and have taken a number of actions:

• I have met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries.
• I have participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• In November 2022 my office published an updated Guide to Parliamentary Work which is available on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

The Parliamentary Capability Team provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades. Their training is designed in partnership with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, the Leaders and Government Whips Offices in both Houses, and departmental parliamentary and legislative teams.

Since April 2022, the Parliamentary Capability Team has delivered a total of 15,933 training interventions (attendance at courses and events, and e-learning courses completed).

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in promoting parliamentary capability and have taken a number of actions:

• I have met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries.
• I have participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• In November 2022 my office published an updated Guide to Parliamentary Work which is available on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

This information is not collected centrally. Decisions on each policy area are a matter for individual Departments.

Written Parliamentary Questions and Early Day Motions are important ways in which MPs can hold the Government to account and scrutinise policy.

This information is not collected centrally. Decisions on each policy area are a matter for individual Departments.

Written Parliamentary Questions and Early Day Motions are important ways in which MPs can hold the Government to account and scrutinise policy.

The Government is fully committed to a strong Parliament that effectively scrutinises legislation. In its response to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's report 'Losing Impact: why the Government’s impact assessment system is failing Parliament and the public' (HL Paper 116), the Government agreed that it is important that Parliament has the information it needs and that impact assessments should be published, where possible, when an applicable instrument is laid before Parliament.

Further to that response, the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee’s ‘Interim Report on the Work of the Committee in Session 2022-2023’ (HL Paper 205) sets out the steps the Government is taking on ensuring suitable opportunities for scrutiny by parliamentarians.

I have attended 14 meetings of the Privy Council within the last twelve months.

Published details of all Privy Council meetings and business transacted since 2010 can be found at: https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/meetings-and-orders/orders-in-council/

As the Government’s representative on the House of Commons Commission, I work closely with all Members of the Commission on a range of matters and will continue to do so.

The Commission is responsible for the administration and services of the House of Commons. In order to inform the Commission’s work, I recently instigated a survey of all Members to better understand their needs and the support required to do their job and was pleased by the level of participation. I look forward to considering its findings.

Further information regarding the agendas and decisions of the House of Commons Commission is available on parliament.uk.

The Members Estimate Committee, which has the same MP membership as the House of Commons Commission, is appointed by the House of Commons under Standing Order 152D. The Committee’s agenda items are often discussed as part of the House of Commons Commission meetings and, as the Government’s representative on the House of Commons Commission, I have regular discussions with Members of the Commission on a range of matters and will continue to do so.

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account and, as Leader of the House, I expect Government Ministers to respond quickly and effectively to Members’ correspondence. I will continue to drive that message and I encourage members who get an unsatisfactory response to write to me and I will take this up for any Member who does not get a proper response.

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in making representations to Government on behalf of the House of Commons, and have taken a number of actions:

• I write to Cabinet colleagues every week following Business Questions to take up the concerns raised by Members, including in relation to delayed responses to correspondence.
• I have met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries where I reiterated the importance of substantive and timely answers to written parliamentary questions.
• I met separately with the Home Office Permanent Secretary following a number of concerns raised during Business Questions.
• I participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• In line with the practice of my predecessors, I have written to all members of Cabinet.
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

The Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office also provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades, including blended learning courses on ministerial correspondence and tailored workshops for Senior Civil Servants. Since April 2022, 1,160 civil servants from across government have attended training provided by the Parliamentary Capability Team on managing Ministerial Correspondence and Written Parliamentary Questions.

As per the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Handling Correspondence (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-government-correspondence-guidance), departments and agencies should aim to respond to correspondence within a 20-working day target deadline. The Cabinet Office published data on this for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022.

As Leader of the House of Commons, I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss issues across my portfolio and will continue to do so.

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account and, as Leader of the House, I expect Government Ministers to respond quickly and effectively to written parliamentary questions. I will continue to drive that message and I encourage members who get an unsatisfactory response to write to me and I will take this up for any Member who does not get a proper response.

Data on response times to written parliamentary questions is held by the House, not government, and the ​Procedure ​Committee has a strong track record of calling Ministers in to look at​ departmental​ performance where there are issues​. Their regular reporting of performance continues to be an effective tool​. ​I note the Procedure Committee's report from earlier in this session on written parliamentary questions during the 2021-22 session​ and ​I was pleased to read that the number of answers provided on time has improved from the 2019-21 session. ​I hope we will see this improvement continue when the Committee publishes its next report following the current session. ​

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in making representations to Government on behalf of the House of Commons, and have taken a number actions:

• In line with the practice of my predecessors, I have written to all members of Cabinet.
• I met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries where I reiterated the importance of substantive and timely answers to written parliamentary questions.
• I participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• I met with the Home Office Permanent Secretary following a number of concerns raised during Business Questions.
• In November 2022 my office published an updated Guide to Parliamentary Work which is available on Gov.uk and includes guidance for civil servants on answering written parliamentary questions (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

The Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office also provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades, including blended learning courses on Written Parliamentary Questions and tailored workshops for Senior Civil Servants. Since April 2022, 1012 civil servants from across government have attended training provided by the Parliamentary Capability Team on managing Written Parliamentary Questions.

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account and, as Leader of the House, I expect Government Ministers to respond quickly and effectively to written parliamentary questions. I will continue to drive that message and I encourage members who get an unsatisfactory response to write to me and I will take this up for any Member who does not get a proper response.

Data on response times to written parliamentary questions is held by the House, not government, and the ​Procedure ​Committee has a strong track record of calling Ministers in to look at​ departmental​ performance where there are issues​. Their regular reporting of performance continues to be an effective tool​. ​I note the Procedure Committee's report from earlier in this session on written parliamentary questions during the 2021-22 session​ and ​I was pleased to read that the number of answers provided on time has improved from the 2019-21 session. ​I hope we will see this improvement continue when the Committee publishes its next report following the current session. ​

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in making representations to Government on behalf of the House of Commons, and have taken a number actions:

• In line with the practice of my predecessors, I have written to all members of Cabinet.
• I met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries where I reiterated the importance of substantive and timely answers to written parliamentary questions.
• I participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• I met with the Home Office Permanent Secretary following a number of concerns raised during Business Questions.
• In November 2022 my office published an updated Guide to Parliamentary Work which is available on Gov.uk and includes guidance for civil servants on answering written parliamentary questions (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

The Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office also provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades, including blended learning courses on Written Parliamentary Questions and tailored workshops for Senior Civil Servants. Since April 2022, 1012 civil servants from across government have attended training provided by the Parliamentary Capability Team on managing Written Parliamentary Questions.

There are no plans to regulate how private companies deal with correspondence through Ofcom or other statutory bodies, as it would not be within their remit.

More widely, Arm’s-length Bodies (ALBs) are a vital part of how the Government delivers policies and public services. It is important that they are accountable and transparent. It is a routine courtesy and a right of Parliament that members receive full and timely responses and I encourage Members who get an unsatisfactory response to write to me and I will endeavour to take this up for any Member who does not get a proper response.

The Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades, including civil servants in ALBs.

This information is not held centrally.

The basic annual salary for an MP from 1st April 2023 is £86,584. MPs also receive expenses to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having somewhere to live in London or their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) which was created in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act, is responsible for setting and regulating MPs’ salaries, pensions, business costs and expenses. IPSA is quite rightly independent of Parliament and the Government. At the end of each financial year, IPSA publishes an annual report and accounts which can be found on IPSA’s website (https://www.theipsa.org.uk/annual-reports).

Most members of the House of Lords do not receive a salary for their parliamentary duties but are eligible to receive allowances and, within certain limits, the travel expenses they incur in fulfilling their parliamentary duties. The House of Lords publishes quarterly data on the claims made by Peers which can be found on the Parliament website (https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/house-of-lords-expenses/)

The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023 were laid by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 30th March 2023 and debated in Delegated Legislation Committee on the 10th May 2023. All future business will be set out on the Order Paper in the usual way.

The National Archives is responsible for determining the publishing costs of legislation, and for operating the correction slip and free issue process on behalf of the Government.

Departments pay a publishing fee for each correction slip or free issue Statutory Instrument (SI). Since January 2019, the publishing costs have been as follows:

• SI publishing fee - £305

• Explanatory Memoranda (if relevant) - £145

• Impact Assessment (if relevant) - £55

• Correction slip - £20.50

Issuing an SI under the free issue procedure incurs a cost on top of the SI publishing fee. The average additional cost for issuing an SI under the free issue procedure is £39.90.

The distribution of the SI also incurs a cost. If an SI is issued free of charge due to an error in an earlier SI, The Stationery Office (TSO) will identify everyone who bought a copy of the original SI and arrange for them to receive a free copy of the new version, paid for by the department. The cost of this will vary for each SI.

The number of SIs between 2006 and 2016 that required correction slips and were made and issued under the free issue procedure is as follows:

The National Archives is responsible for determining the publishing costs of legislation, and for operating the correction slip and free issue process on behalf of the Government.

Departments pay a publishing fee for each correction slip or free issue Statutory Instrument (SI). Since January 2019, the publishing costs have been as follows:

• SI publishing fee - £305

• Explanatory Memoranda (if relevant) - £145

• Impact Assessment (if relevant) - £55

• Correction slip - £20.50

Issuing an SI under the free issue procedure incurs a cost on top of the SI publishing fee. The average additional cost for issuing an SI under the free issue procedure is £39.90.

The distribution of the SI also incurs a cost. If an SI is issued free of charge due to an error in an earlier SI, The Stationery Office (TSO) will identify everyone who bought a copy of the original SI and arrange for them to receive a free copy of the new version, paid for by the department. The cost of this will vary for each SI.

The number of SIs between 2006 and 2016 that required correction slips and were made and issued under the free issue procedure is as follows:

Transparency of funding is a key cornerstone of the UK’s existing electoral system. There is already an established framework which requires the political parties to record all donations, and certain donations must be reported to the Electoral Commission. This includes donations from impermissible donors, and also donations from the same permissible source that amount to over £7,500 in one calendar year. For transparency, donation reports are published online by the Electoral Commission for public scrutiny.

The terms of reference for the cross-party forum will be agreed in due course.

This information is not held centrally. I would refer the hon. member to the House of Commons Library service.

This information is not held centrally.

I refer the hon. member to the research briefing provided by the House of Commons Library (https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04401/).

The Government is carefully considering this appointment to ensure that an adviser has the necessary expertise and shall provide an update in due course.

The Government is carefully considering this appointment to ensure that an adviser has the necessary expertise and shall provide an update in due course.

The Government is clear that Parliament should have the information it needs and that impact assessments should be published, where possible, when legislation is laid before Parliament.

On 13th March 2023, the House agreed a programme motion for the Illegal Migration Bill. The Bill will receive further scrutiny when it returns to the House for consideration of Lords amendments on the 11th July 2023.

The Hon. Member may wish to note that the Home Office also published the Child’s Rights Impact Assessment on the 5th July 2023.

Correction slips are used to correct typographical errors. A statutory instrument (SI) containing a substantive error must be replaced by amending secondary legislation. This is issued under the free issue procedure, further information on which can be found at page 128 of the National Archives’ Statutory Instrument Practice (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/pdfs/StatutoryInstrumentPractice_5th_Edition.pdf).

The National Archives holds information on SI statistics by calendar year. Information from 2016 to 2022, which covers the last five parliamentary sessions, is provided below.

Information on SIs replacing legislation not issued under the free issue procedure is not held centrally. To provide this information would therefore incur disproportionate cost.

In the last five sessions, the following number of Government Bills reached Royal Assent:

The average number of clauses in Government Bills that received Royal Assent in that period is not held centrally. To provide this information would therefore incur disproportionate cost.

The full text of each Government Act from each of the last five sessions is available on legislation.gov.uk.

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel will publish its revised drafting guidance on GOV.UK in due course, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This guidance will reflect the Government’s position as set out in the Written Statement of 23 May 2022, Official Report, HCWS47.

The 2019 Guide to Gender-Neutral Drafting is not a Government publication. It was produced for an external seminar, and although based on guidance of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, it was not published by them. Stonewall was not consulted in relation to either publication.

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel will publish its revised drafting guidance on GOV.UK in due course, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This guidance will reflect the Government’s position as set out in the Written Statement of 23 May 2022, Official Report, HCWS47.

The 2019 Guide to Gender-Neutral Drafting is not a Government publication. It was produced for an external seminar, and although based on guidance of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, it was not published by them. Stonewall was not consulted in relation to either publication.

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel will publish its revised drafting guidance on GOV.UK in due course, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This guidance will reflect the Government’s position as set out in the Written Statement of 23 May 2022, Official Report, HCWS47.

The 2019 Guide to Gender-Neutral Drafting is not a Government publication. It was produced for an external seminar, and although based on guidance of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, it was not published by them. Stonewall was not consulted in relation to either publication.

The Government has brought forward an ambitious legislative programme, with 24 bills currently before Parliament. Future business will be announced in the usual way.

The Government has brought forward an ambitious legislative programme, with 24 bills currently before Parliament, and we will continue to make progress. So far this session 40 bills have been exchanged between the Houses, of which 24 have received Royal Assent.

The arrangement of business in the House of Lords is a matter for that place. I will announce future business in the House of Commons in the usual way.

The Business and Trade Committee has an important role to play in the scrutiny of the Department for Business and Trade and its public bodies, including international trade agreements. The International Trade Committee previously conducted inquiries into the Free Trade Agreements with Australia and New Zealand, as well as more recent inquiries into the UK’s CPTPP accession and UK trade negotiations with India and the Gulf Cooperation Group.

The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG) provides an effective and robust framework for scrutiny of treaties that require ratification, including Free Trade Agreements. In addition, any legislation required to implement international agreements needs to be scrutinised and passed by Parliament in the usual way.

Following Business Questions on the 20th April 2023 I wrote to the Home Office to raise this matter. I understand that the Home Office has now contacted the hon. Member for Stockport to provide details of the next surgery near his constituency and that the case raised on the 20th April 2023 has now been resolved.

The Committee on Standards has carefully considered the matter of MPs holding second jobs and conducting outside work and resolved not to recommend limiting this in the absence of a consensus in favour of restrictions on time spent and earnings from outside work.

The Government believes that an MPs’ primary role is and must be to serve their constituents and represent their interests in Parliament. That is why we brought forward a motion implementing proposals recommended in the Committee on Standards’ reports on a revised Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules for MPs.

The Government has delivered on many of its 2019 manifesto commitments, and will continue to do so. The 2022 Queen's Speech set out an ambitious legislative programme and so far this session 24 Bills have received Royal Assent.

The House has been informed of three Bills that were announced in the Queen's Speech on 10 May 2022 that have been introduced to Parliament and will no longer make progress:

• Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (25 May 2023, Official Report 733, columns 494-503);
• Northern Ireland Protocol Bill (27 February 2023, Official Report 728, columns 570-576); and
• Schools Bill (7 December 2022, Education Committee oral evidence: Accountability hearings, HC 58).

The measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will now be pursued as single measure Bills. We remain fully committed to delivering our manifesto commitments and this approach is now the surest and the quickest way of doing so.

The Government will inform the House of any further changes in the usual way.

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account and, as Leader of the House, I expect Government Ministers to respond quickly and effectively to Members’ correspondence. I will continue to drive that message and I encourage members who get an unsatisfactory response to write to me and I will take this up for any Member who does not get a proper response.

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in making representations to Government on behalf of the House of Commons, and have taken a number of actions:

• Over the 2022 Summer recess my office conducted a series of discussions across Whitehall regarding the importance of timely and quality responses to Members.
• In line with the practice of my predecessors, I have written to all members of Cabinet.
• I participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• I met with the Home Office Permanent Secretary following a number of concerns raised during Business Questions, and I have been pleased to note an improvement in performance in that department’s statistics.
• In March I met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries where I reiterated the importance of substantive and timely answers to correspondence.
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

The Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office also provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades, including blended learning courses on ministerial correspondence and tailored workshops for Senior Civil Servants. Since April 2022, 686 civil servants from across government have attended training provided by the Parliamentary Capability Team on managing Ministerial Correspondence and Written Parliamentary Questions.

In addition, the Cabinet Office Guide to Handling Correspondence, which is available on Gov.uk, includes guidance for civil servants on how to handle correspondence from MPs, Peers, members of the devolved legislatures and members of the public (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-government-correspondence-guidance).

The CPTPP will act as a gateway to the Indo-Pacific, one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing regions on Earth. When we join, the bloc will account for around 15% of global GDP and could boost the UK economy by £1.8 billion in the long run, with wages set to rise by £800 million compared to 2019 levels as a consequence.

Once signed, the agreement will be laid before Parliament for 21 sitting days of formal scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG). There will be at least three months between publication of the agreement and the commencement of the scrutiny period under CRaG. Any legislation required to implement the agreement will be scrutinised and passed by Parliament in the usual way. The Government commitment to holding debates during the CRaG process is subject to the request being made in a timely manner and parliamentary time being available.

We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and we continue to strengthen these even further. Since 2010 we have:

• Introduced new regulations for minimum standards for meat chickens;
• Banned the use of conventional battery cages for laying hens;
• Made CCTV mandatory in slaughterhouses in England;
• Made microchipping mandatory for dogs in 2015;
• Modernised our licensing system for a range of activities such as dog breeding and pet sales;
• Protected service animals via ‘Finn’s Law’;
• Banned the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens (‘Lucy’s Law’);
• Passed the Wild Animals in Circuses Act;
• Led work to implement humane trapping standards;
• Passed the Animal Sentience Act;
• Passed the Ivory Act;
• Increased maximum sentences for animal cruelty from six months to five years’ imprisonment;
• Delivering one of the toughest bans in the world on the import of hunting trophies;
• Supporting a Bill to ban the import and export of detached shark fins and shark fin products;
• Supporting a Bill to prohibit the advertising and offering for sale, here, of unacceptably low welfare activities involving wild animals;

We recognise the strong support for getting provisions in the Kept Animals Bill onto the statute book and we are fully committed to delivering our manifesto commitments on animal welfare. All future business will be announced in the usual way.

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account and it is vital that departments provide accurate contact information to Members of Parliament. A response to the right hon. Member for North Durham’s letter of the 24th March 2023 has now been provided.

As set out in the Cabinet Office Guide to Handling Correspondence (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-government-correspondence-guidance) all correspondence to Ministers from MPs should be signed off at an appropriate ministerial level. Official replies to letters from MPs should only occur where the correspondent has written about the day-to-day operations of an executive agency or a non-departmental public body, in which case the relevant Chief Executive may be asked to reply, or where a Minister determines that the particular circumstances mean an official reply would be more appropriate.

As set out in the Guide to Making Legislation (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-making-legislation), any post-legislative scrutiny usually takes place three to five years after Royal Assent. It will be for the Home Office to discuss the publication of any post-legislative scrutiny memorandum with the Home Affairs Select Committee in the coming years.

The Government response to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's report on Losing Impact: why the Government’s impact assessment system is failing Parliament and the public (HL Paper 116), was published on 15 December 2022, and is available on parliament.uk (https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/33276/documents/180120/default/).

The Government has taken a number of steps to ensure that best practice is followed by departments, for example:

• providing, and regularly updating, centralised guidance through the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-making-legislation.
• the Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades.

Published impact assessments, including their date of publication, are available on the Parliament website (https://bills.parliament.uk/).

The Government is clear that Parliament should have the information it needs and that impact assessments should be published, where possible, when legislation is laid before Parliament.

The Government response to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's report on Losing Impact: why the Government’s impact assessment system is failing Parliament and the public (HL Paper 116), was published on 15 December 2022, and is available on parliament.uk (https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/33276/documents/180120/default/).

The Government has taken a number of steps to ensure that best practice is followed by departments, for example:

• providing, and regularly updating, centralised guidance through the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-making-legislation.
• the Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades.

Published impact assessments, including their date of publication, are available on the Parliament website (https://bills.parliament.uk/).

The Government is clear that Parliament should have the information it needs and that impact assessments should be published, where possible, when legislation is laid before Parliament.