§ Mr. FitzpatrickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the Widdecombe rules. [16911]
§ Mr. RaynsfordMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, told the House on 8 July 1997,Official Report, columns 389–90, that we accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its Third Report, that a new start should now be made on building an ethical framework for local government. In addition, my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Housing announced on 30 September that, while we are firmly committed to the tradition of political impartiality by senior officials employed in both central and local government, we are reviewing the detail of the current regulations on politically restricted posts in local government.