Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 5 March 2018 (HL5587) and to the article in The Times ‘Standards board ‘looks like a cabal’’, published on 7 February, what assessment they have made of whether legal advice obtained from Martin Moore QC for (1) the Financial Reporting Council, or (2) the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, has been (a) properly obtained, (b) independent, and (c) suitable for determining matters of public interest.

The organisations referred to in these questions - the UK Endorsement Board (UKEB), the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) – are responsible for procuring their own legal advice. The FRC which facilitates the UKEB is an arm’s length body which reports annually to the Department on how it has carried out responsibilities under its remit. The ICAEW is an independent organisation.

The issue of whether to publish legal advice is for the respective organisations to consider.