Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Blencathra (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 June 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 July 2021. It was answered by Lord True (Conservative) on Tuesday, 6 July 2021 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Coronavirus: Advisory Bodies

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of the COVID-19 advisory bodies are bound by collective responsibility; and what assessment they have made of the consistency of public statements by members of those bodies with the conclusions of those bodies.

Answer

Members of advisory bodies are appointed as private individuals to advise the Government, not as representatives of the Government. The principle of Cabinet Collective Responsibility, that the Cabinet system of Government is based on, does not extend beyond Government Ministers.

A Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees, published by the Government Office for Science, provides guidance for all aspects of their governance, such as those scientific advisory bodies engaged on the COVID-19 response. It provides guidance on the establishment, management and conduct of committees and sets out their relationship with the bodies they advise. Members rights and responsibilities, and procedures for arriving at conclusions and consensus are also covered in the guidance. The Code is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-committees-code-of-practice

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1290
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Advisory bodies Collective responsibility Coronavirus
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk