Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will issue guidance to Arm’s Length Bodies on stopping the recruitment of Government Relations Advisers to influence central government bodies.

The Cabinet Office does not issue specific guidance on this matter and does not intend to do so.

However, Section 4.1 of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies states that ‘it will always be an improper use of public funds for public bodies to employ consultants or other companies to lobby Parliament, government or political parties.”