APPENDIX 1
RESOLUTION OF THE HOUSE
The following principles should govern the conduct
of Ministers of the Crown in relation to Parliament:
1. Ministers have a duty to Parliament to
account and to be held to account, for the policies, decisions
and actions of their departments and Next Steps Agencies;
2. It is of paramount importance that Ministers
give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting
any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. Ministers who
knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation
to the Prime Minister;
3. Ministers should be as open as possible
with Parliament, refusing to provide information only when disclosure
would not be in the public interest, which should be decided in
accordance with relevant statute and the Government's Code of
Practice on Access to Government Information;
4. Similarly, Ministers should require civil
servants who give evidence before Parliamentary Committees on
their behalf and under their Directions to be as helpful as possible
in providing accurate and truthful and full information in accordance
with the duties and responsibilities of civil servants as set
out in the Civil Service Code.[1]
1 The resolution was agreed to by the Commons on 19
March and by the Lords on 20 March 1997. Back
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