Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all government departments are expected to abide by the Cabinet Office Consultation Principles and Code of Practice to conduct 12-week formal written consultations where the voluntary and community sector are involved.

The Government Consultation Principles provide departments with guidance on conducting consultations. Individual departments are accountable for their own consultation practice.

The Consultation Principles replaced the Code of Practice on Consultations in 2012 and were updated in 2018. The Principles do not prescribe a minimum length of a consultation but are clear that consultations should last for a proportionate amount of time. The length of a consultation should be judged on a case by case basis and in certain cases consulting for too long will unnecessarily delay policy development.