Public Office (Accountability) Bill — Amendment Paper: Notices of Amendments as at 18 December 2025

Report StageThursday 18 December 2025
Public Office (Accountability) Bill, As Amended
(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 Any withdrawn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.
★ New Amendments.
New Amendment: NC1
_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.
(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.”
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.
REPORT STAGE Thursday 18 December 2025 2