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The Ministerial Code

History. Written guidance for British cabinet ministers began as the document Questions of Procedure for Ministers (QPM), which was a Cabinet Office confidential document to assist ministers, and dates to at least the 1980s.First published in 1992.The Ministerial Code was Tony Blair's 1997 set of

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The Ministerial Code

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    1. The Ministerial Code Adapted from Wikipedia

    2. History Written guidance for British cabinet ministers began as the document Questions of Procedure for Ministers (QPM), which was a Cabinet Office confidential document to assist ministers, and dates to at least the 1980s. First published in 1992. The Ministerial Code was Tony Blair's 1997 set of rules.

    3. It is based on the Seven Principles of Public Life Selflessness: ministers should act entirely in the public interest. Integrity: no financial obligations should be accepted if they could undermine the minister's position. Objectivity: when making appointments, decisions should be based on merit. Accountability: all public office-holders are accountable, and should co-operate with all scrutiny procedures. Openness: all decisions should be justified, and information should be restricted only when necessary for the public interest. Honesty: public office-holders are required, by duty, to be honest in all their dealings and business. Leadership: the principles should be supported and upheld by leadership and example.

    4. It directs ministers to "behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety," to uphold the principle of collective responsibility, and to avoid conflicts of interest. Sets out the precise rules of collective responsibility.

    5. It sets out the rules regarding special advisers (temporary civil servants who are political agents of the minister), how many each minister may appoint, and their powers and duties. It states how ministers should ensure that their work is covered during any absence from London

    6. It states that ministers "must uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service, and not ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the Civil Service Code." directs ministers to refrain from using government property and resources in their role as an MP.

    7. Requires ministers to provide their Permanent Secretary with a complete list of any financial interests they have. In March 2009, this list was released to the public for the first time. Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.

    8. Speeches, interviews and news releases should all be cleared with the Number 10 Press Office, to ensure synchronicity of timing, and clarity of content. Ministers should not practice "regular journalism" without the permission of the Office. No minister may publish a book about their ministerial experiences while in office. Former ministers require manuscripts to be cleared by the Cabinet Secretary, under the "Radcliffe rules".

    9. Ministers should not make oral statements to Parliament without prior approval from the Prime Minister. Any other minister or MP to be mentioned in such a statement should be notified beforehand. Official government transport, paid for by public funds, should normally only be used on government business, except where security requires that it be used even for personal transport.

    10. Liam Fox He had been criticised for his conduct in relation to Mr Werritty, who had claimed to be Mr Fox's adviser, joined him on 18 foreign trips and arranged meetings for him despite having no official government or Conservative Party role. Conflict of interest Questions have also been raised about how Mr Werritty funded his business activities and whether he had gained from his frequent access to the former defence secretary. Mr Fox resigned on Friday after a week of allegations over his working relationship with Mr Werritty, a lobbyist and former flatmate. In resigning, the defence secretary said he had allowed his personal loyalties and professional responsibilities to become "blurred".

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