The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has called for greater transparency by Ministers of the government and Members of Parliament where asset declarations are concerned. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Commissioner emphasised that the level of disclosure of information that Ministers declare cannot be reduced when there is reform on the system.
The letter comes after concerns that were raised following the failure by Ministers to table the declarations of assets for 2023 in Parliament, a tradition that had been followed for years. On 2nd January 2025, the Commissioner wrote to the Prime Minister to express his concerns.
In response, the Prime Minister wrote to propose a new system in which all MPs, including Ministers, would submit to Parliament a single annual declaration of their assets. In that way, Ministers would no longer have to file a separate declaration. The Prime Minister sought the Commissioner’s views on the suggestion that such a new system would be more convenient.
But in his letter, the Commissioner cautioned against any reduction in transparency. He stressed that Ministers are currently required to declare their income – something not required of all ordinary MPs and that this obligation should remain.
The Commissioner also referred to a report by the OECD that called for more stringent conflict-of-interest and asset declaration requirements, recommending that MPs declare their income and MPs and Ministers disclose gifts received, including paid travel abroad. He argued this report should serve as the basis of reform.
The Commissioner further insisted that any changes to the asset declaration system should be subjected to public consultation and must not be rushed. In the meantime, he saw no reason to withhold Ministers’ 2023 asset declarations and urged the government to table them in Parliament without further delay.
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