Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total initial and recurring cost to public authorities of drafting, consulting upon, publishing, maintaining, reviewing, training staff upon and enforcing the codes required by clause 10 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

The Code of Ethical provisions as set out in the Bill will allow public authorities flexibility to implement the Code to suit their organisation and sector. Given that most public bodies will already be covered by a form of code, it is anticipated that costs will not be substantial.

The scale of these costs can only be fully determined after Royal Assent. A further assessment of impact will, therefore, be undertaken at the appropriate stage.