A Bill to make provision about mechanisms for promoting and protecting standards of integrity and ethics in the public service; to make provision about appointments to the House of Lords and the House of Lords Appointments Commission; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
23 January 2025
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The bill would create an Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Conduct and Interests to monitor conflicts and publish ministers’ interests, and would require the Prime Minister to publish, review and lay before Parliament the Ministerial Code. It would set up a formal governance framework for public appointments, bringing together key oversight bodies and a Public Appointments Code and Business Appointment Rules, with enforcement powers for breaches. The aim is to strengthen transparency, integrity and independence in public life across the UK.
The bill is currently at the Lords’ 2nd Reading and originated in the Lords. The published document (dated 2025-01-22) outlines the main provisions, including the independent adviser and the public appointments framework, but there is no detail available on any committee amendments or recommendations in this material.
Generated 21 February 2026
22 Jan 2025
First reading took place on 22 January. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the bill's journey through the Lords.
What happens next?
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the bill - is yet to be scheduled.
The bill creates an Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Conduct and Interests to monitor conflicts, publish interests, advise ministers, and oversee compliance with the Ministerial Code, which the Prime Minister must publish, review, consult on, and lay before Parliament. It also establishes a governance framework for public appointments—the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the Commission on Standards in Public Life, the House of Lords Appointments Commission, and the Commission on Business Appointments—together with a Public Appointments Code and Business Appointment Rules to be consulted on, audited, and laid before Parliament. COBA gains enforcement powers, including civil penalties (up to £7,500) for breaches of the Rules, with annual reporting by the oversight bodies, and the Act applies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to strengthen transparency, integrity and independence in public life.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
