Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what interests were declared by Ewen Fergusson before his appointment as an independent member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life; and if he will publish those interests.

Appointments of independent members of the Committee on Standards in Public Life are made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Code is clear that candidates must be asked to declare potential conflicts of interest in their application and these should be discussed at interview.

The register of interests of all the Committee's members can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cspl-latest-register-of-interests.

The associated press release on the open competition for this role is at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/professor-gillian-peele-and-ewen-fergusson-to-join-the-committee-on-standards-in-public-life.

I also refer the Hon. Member to the letter from the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the competition process: https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Copy-of-2021-07-20-PR-to-Lord-Evans-redacted.pdf.