The Committee on Standards in
Public Life has today announced a review into whether
the existing frameworks and regulations are sufficient to ensure
that high standards of conduct are upheld as technologically
assisted decision-making is adopted more widely across the public
sector.
Publishing the terms of reference for the inquiry
today, Lord Evans, Chair of the
Committee on Standards in Public Life said:
“Honesty, integrity,
objectivity, openness, leadership, selflessness and
accountability were first outlined by as the standards expected
of those who act on the public’s behalf.
“These principles have stood the test of time and are deeply
embedded across much of the public sector - from the Civil
Service and NHS bodies to local councils and schools. The
increasing development and use of data and data-enabled
technologies in our public services can potentially bring huge
advantages in terms of pace and scale of service delivery, but
there are some major ethical and practical challenges about what
this means for accountability, objectivity and the other Nolan
principles.
“As the Committee celebrates its 25th year as an advisory body
conducting broad reviews of key ethical issues, we want to look
at what the future holds for public services and help ensure that
high standards of conduct continue to be ‘built in’ to new ways
of making decisions on the public’s behalf.
“We are keen to hear from individuals and organisations who are
developing policy, systems or safeguards on the use of AI as we
gather evidence for this review.”
The Committee expects to publish its report in the New Year.
Notes to Editors
- Interview requests and media enquiries should go to Maggie
O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
- The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life advises
the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of
public life in the UK. It monitors and reports on issues relating
to the standards of conduct of all public office holders. To find
out more about the Committee’s work click here.
- The current members of the Committee are: Lord (Jonathan)
Evans, Chairman, Rt Hon DBE MP (Labour),
MP (Conservative), Dr Jane
Martin CBE, Dame Shirley Pearce DBE, Jane Ramsey, Monisha Shah
and Rt Hon Lord (Andrew) Stunell OBE (Liberal Democrat).
