Public Office (Accountability) Bill — Amendment Paper: Public Bill Committee Amendments as at 4 December 2025

Committee StageThursday 4 December 2025
Public Office (Accountability) Bill
(Amendment Paper)
This document lists all amendments tabled to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill. Any withdrawn
amendments are listed at the end of the document. The amendments are arranged in the order in which
it is expected they will be decided.
This document should be read alongside the Chair’s provisional Selection and Grouping, which sets out
the order in which the amendments will be debated.
_34 Jess Brown-Fuller
Tom Morrison
Tessa Munt
. Clause 11, page 9, line 24, at end insert—
“(1A) Where an offence under this section is committed by a public authority, the
chief officer or chief executive (as well as the public authority) is guilty of the
offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment would place a personal responsibility on the chief officer or chief executive of a
public authority for an offence of misleading the public.
_45 Ian Byrne
. Clause 11, page 9, line 24, at end insert—
“(1A) Where the act or statement is made by or in the name of the public authority,
responsibility for it lies on the Chief Officer or Chief Executive for the purposes
of this section”
_51 Ian Byrne
. Clause 11, page 9, line 33, leave out paragraph (b)

_30 Jess Brown-Fuller
Tom Morrison
Tessa Munt
. Clause 11, page 10, line 4, leave out paragraph (b)
_Gov_5 Alex Davies-Jones
. Clause 11, page 10, line 4, at end insert “by—
(i) a recognised news publisher, within the meaning of Part 3 of
the Online Safety Act 2023 (see section 56 of that Act), or
(ii) a person in the course of working for such a publisher.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment clarifies that the journalism exemption from the offence of misleading the public
only applies to media entities and those that work for them.
_52 Ian Byrne
. Clause 11, page 10, leave out lines 28 and 29
_53 Ian Byrne
. Clause 11, page 10, line 33, at end insert—
““journalism” means articles for media outlets and news sites. It does not extend
to press statements,commentary and social media posts.”
_2 Dr Kieran Mullan
. Clause 11, page 10, line 35, at end insert—
“(10) A prosecution for an offence under this section shall not be instituted except
by or with the consent of the Director for Public Prosecutions.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment requires the Director of Public Prosecutions to consent to the prosecution of anyone
for the offence of misleading the public.
_56 Ian Byrne
. Schedule 3, page 44, line 27, after “national,” insert “or”
COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025 2

_57 Ian Byrne
. Schedule 3, page 44, line 31, after “section 5” insert “or section 11”
_58 Ian Byrne
. Schedule 4, page 46, leave out lines 33 to 37
_Gov_11 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 4, page 48, line 24, at end insert—
“14A A member of the Parole Board (see section 239 of the Criminal Justice Act
2003).”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment adds members of the Parole Board to the list of holders of public office for the
purposes of Part 3 of the Bill.
_Gov_12 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 4, page 49, line 4, after “Coroner” insert “or a Deputy Chief Coroner”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment adds Deputy Chief Coroners appointed under Schedule 8 to the Coroners and Justice
Act 2009 to the list of holders of public office for the purposes of Part 3 of the Bill.
_Gov_13 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 4, page 50, line 8, at end insert—
“(3A) Whether a function is of a public nature for the purposes of sub-paragraph
(1)(b) is a question of law.
(3B) In determining that question, the judge must—
(a) make any necessary findings of fact, and
(b) have regard (among other matters) to whether the function meets
a responsibility of government such that the public or a section of
the public (beyond persons directly affected by the exercise of the
function) have a significant interest in its exercise.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment makes provision about the determination of whether, for the purposes of paragraph
21 of Schedule 4 to the Bill, a function exercised by a person is of a public nature.
3 COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025

_Gov_14 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 6, page 54, line 2, leave out from “paragraph” to “and” in line 3 and insert
“(d) insert—
“(e) the matters reported under paragraph 7A of that Schedule””
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment is consequential on amendments 16 and 17.
_Gov_15 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 6, page 55, line 24, leave out “2A and 7” and insert “7 and 7A”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment is consequential on amendments 16 and 17.
_Gov_16 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 6, page 56, line 1, leave out “2” and insert “7”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment, together with amendment 17, relocates the position in which a new paragraph
of Schedule 5 to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 is inserted.
_Gov_17 Alex Davies-Jones
. Schedule 6, page 56, line 3, leave out “2A” and insert “7A”
Member's explanatory statement
See the explanatory statement for amendment 16.
_NC1 Maria Eagle
. To move the following Clause—
“Post-legislative assessment of the legal duty of candour for public authorities
and public officials
(1) The Secretary of State must, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, publish
a report into—
(a) the impact of the Act’s provisions on increasing public confidence that
public authorities’ internal processes are fit for purpose in identifying
and investigating failures when they first arise following a major
incident.
COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025 4

(b) the role of the standing public advocate in assessing public authorities’
responses to affected individuals and relatives of bereaved victims
following a major incident or where there is a major public concern
that public authorities may not be acting in the best interests of those
affected by a major incident.
(2) The report must assess—
(a) extending the public advocate’s powers to facilitate the gathering of
information from those people affected by a major incident to support
official inquiries and investigations to help ensure that all public
authorities and officials are acting in accordance with the duty of
candour set out in this Act.
(b) the case for facilitating a mechanism whereby the public advocate can
instigate an independent panel to collate evidence and information
following a major incident to support the oversight of public authorities
and officials’ responses to major incidents.
(c) the costs of establishing independent panels as compared to
non-statutory inquiries, or statutory inquiries under the Inquiries Act
2005 in line with paragraph (b).
(3) The Secretary of State must lay a copy of the Report before Parliament.”
_NC2 Dr Kieran Mullan
. To move the following Clause—
“Public interest
(1) Within six months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must define
in regulations what constitutes the “public interest” for the purposes of—
(a) Section 1(1)(a),
(b) Schedule 1(8)(b).
(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may not be made until a draft has been
approved by both Houses.”
Member's explanatory statement
This new clause would require the Secretary of State to define public interest for the purposes of
this Act by regulations.
_NC3 Jess Brown-Fuller
Tom Morrison
Tessa Munt
5 COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025

. To move the following Clause—
“Offence of wilfully destroying information or records relevant to an inquiry
or investigation
(1) A public authority or public official commits an offence if—
(a) they deliberately destroy relevant information or records relevant to
an inquiry, investigation, or inquest;
(b) they know that, or are reckless as to whether, the information is relevant
to or required by an inquiry, investigation, or inquest.
(2) A public official who commits an offence under this section is liable—
(a) on summary conviction in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates’ court or a fine
(or both);
(b) on summary conviction in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum
(or both);
(c) on summary conviction in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum
(or both);
(d) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding
two years or a fine (or both).”
Member's explanatory statement
This new clause introduces an offence for wilfully destroying relevant records after a major incident
that may lead to an inquiry or inquest.
_NC4 Jess Brown-Fuller
Tom Morrison
Tessa Munt
. To move the following Clause—
“Monitoring compliance with duties under the Act
(1) The Secretary of State must commission and publish annually an independent
report which monitors public authorities’ compliance with their duties under
the Act.
(2) The report must assess—
(a) public authorities’ record-keeping, disclosures and responses to inquiries
and investigations;
(b) the effectiveness of enforcement and sanctions provisions in the Act in
helping to ensure that public authorities and public officials perform
their functions in line with the duty of candour in their dealings with
inquiries and investigations; and
(c) the effectiveness of the provisions in the Act for supporting persons,
including public officials, making protected disclosures and for reporting
wrongdoings to an inquiry or investigation following a major incident.
COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025 6

(3) The Secretary of State must lay a copy of each report before both Houses of
Parliament.
(4) The first report must be laid within the period of 12 months of the passing of
this Act.
(5) Each subsequent report must be laid annually beginning with the day on which
the previous report was laid.”
Member's explanatory statement
This new clause requires the Secretary of State to commission and publish annually an independent
report with the purpose of providing an oversight mechanism to monitor compliance with duties
under the Act.
_NC5 Jess Brown-Fuller
Tom Morrison
Tessa Munt
. To move the following Clause—
“Conduct of public authorities and access to legal aid for seriously injured
survivors who are participating in inquests or inquiries
(1) Legal aid must be made available, without a means test, to seriously injured
survivors who are participating in inquests or inquiries where there are
reasonable grounds for believing the matter under investigation relates to the
conduct of public authorities tasked with carrying out public functions, or
public officials working for bodies in a public capacity, in connection with the
discharge of their public duties.
(2) The Secretary of State must, within three months of the Act receiving Royal
Assent, make regulations to—
(a) add civil legal services to Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Legal Aid,
Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 in connection with
proceedings relating to seriously injured survivors who are participating
in inquests or inquiries as under subsection (1);
(b) amend the Civil Legal Aid (Merits Criteria) Regulations 2013 (S.I.
2013/104) for the purposes of providing criteria for a determination for
legal representation in respect of cases under subsection (1).
(3) This section comes into force on the day on which this Act is passed.”
Member's explanatory statement
This new clause would extend civil legal aid to seriously injured survivors who are participating in
inquests or inquiries where the conduct of public bodies or public officials is in question.
_41 Jess Brown-Fuller
Tom Morrison
Tessa Munt
7 COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025

. Clause 25, page 22, line 23, leave out subsections (1) to (8) and insert—
“This Act shall come into force on Royal Assent, save for sections 9, 10 and 18,
which will come into force six months thereafter.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment clarifies that the Act should come into force straightaway except for those sections
which require the provision of codes or guidance.
Order of the House
[3 November 2025]
That the following provisions shall apply to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill:
Committal
1. The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.
Proceedings in Public Bill Committee
2. Proceedings in the Public Bill Committee shall (so far as not previously concluded)
be brought to a conclusion on Thursday 11 December 2025.
3. The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on which it
meets.
Consideration and Third Reading
4. Proceedings on Consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought
to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the day on which
those proceedings are commenced.
5. Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought
to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.
6. Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to proceedings
on Consideration and Third Reading.
Other proceedings
7. Any other proceedings on the Bill may be programmed.
Order of the Committee
[27 November 2025, as amended 2 December 2025]
That—
COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025 8

1. the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 11.30 am on Thursday 27
November) meet—
(a) at 2.00 pm on Thursday 27 November;
(b) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 2 December;
(c) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 4 December;
(d) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 9 December;
(e) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 11 December;
2. the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following Table:
Witness Time Date
Hillsborough Law Now Until no later than Thursday 27 November
12:00 pm
The Law Commission; Crown
Prosecution Service
Until no later than
12:30 pm
Thursday 27 November
Margaret Aspinall; Charlotte
Hennessy; Steve Kelly; Sue
Roberts
Until no later than
1:00 pm
Thursday 27 November
INQUEST; Professor Julia Waters Until no later than Thursday 27 November
2:25 pm
Lord Evans of Weardale Until no later than Thursday 27 November
2:45 pm
Hilda Hammond; Jenni Hicks Until no later than Thursday 27 November
3:10 pm
Grenfell United Until no later than Thursday 27 November
3:30 pm
National Police Chiefs’ Council Until no later than Thursday 27 November
3:50 pm
The Law Society; LAPG, the
Legal Aid Practitioners Group
Until no later than
4:15 pm
Thursday 27 November
The Chief Coroner of England
and Wales
Until no later than
4:35 pm
Thursday 27 November
The Independent Public
Advocate
Until no later than
4:55 pm
Thursday 27 November
Care Quality Commission; NHS
Resolution; NHS England
Until no later than
5:30 pm
Thursday 27 November
Flora Page KC; Whistleblowers
UK; Second Sight; Hacked Off
Until no later than
6:05 pm
Thursday 27 November
9 COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025

Witness Time Date
Mayor of the Liverpool City
Region Combined Authority;
Until no later than
6:30 pm
Thursday 27 November
Mayor of the Greater
Manchester Combined Authority
Daniel De Simone Until no later than Thursday 27 November
6:50 pm
3. proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the
following order: Clauses 1 and 2; Schedule 1; Clauses 3 to 9; Schedule 2; Clauses
10 and 11; Schedule 3; Clauses 12 to 15; Schedule 4; Clauses 16 and 17; Schedule
5; Clause 18; Schedule 6; new Clauses; new Schedules; Clauses 19 to 26; remaining
proceedings on the Bill;
4. the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion
at 5.00 pm on Thursday 11 December.
COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 4 December 2025 10