Non-inquiry session · Opened 22 May 2025
Members' Staff Register
From: Committee on Standards
What this inquiry is asking
Should Parliament expand the Register of Interests of Members' Staff to include all staff with access to parliamentary digital systems, not just those with physical passes? The inquiry examines whether current transparency rules have fallen out of step with remote working and digital access.
Status / emerging findings
- Current register only covers ~2,000 staff with physical passes; 4,202 have parliamentary network accounts and email access but face no transparency requirement — meaning more than half of Members' staff are unregistered.
- Committee recommends new House resolution to expand the register to cover all staff with parliamentary digital access, bringing the register in line with 'current working practices'.
- Last substantive update to the register came in 1993; technological change has outpaced the regulatory framework.
Why it matters
Thousands of parliamentary staff can access sensitive government information and influence MPs without declaring financial interests or potential conflicts — a hidden accountability gap in Westminster.
Tone arc
Technical and procedural; the report identifies a straightforward transparency gap and proposes a modernising fix with no apparent partisan contention.
Themes
Key witnesses
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Registrar for Members' Financial Interests, Committee on Standards (Chair: Alberto Costa)
Reports & Government Responses
Report · 12 June 2025 · HC 943
Themes & actors
Topics across publication summaries
Top organisations & named entities
- Alberto Costa·1 reference
- Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards·1 reference
- Daniel Greenberg·1 reference
- Registrar for Members' Financial Interests·1 reference
- Parliamentary Digital Service·1 reference
- Committee on Standards·1 reference
Source · parliament.uk inquiry record ↗