Nolan Committee

The Nolan Committee formally the Committee on Standards in Public Life, was constituted by Prime Minister John Major in October 1994 and chaired by Lord Nolan, a Law Lord (Lord of Appeal in Ordinary). It was created as a permanent advisory body in response to the "cash for questions" affair and broader public anxiety over sleaze in Westminster, including allegations that Members of Parliament accepted payment to table parliamentary questions. Its remit was to examine concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office — ministers, civil servants, MPs, members of quangos, local government and the National Health Service — and to make recommendations to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life.

The Committee's enduring contribution is the codification, in its First Report (May 1995), of the Seven Principles of Public Life, universally known as the Nolan Principles: Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership. These principles require office-holders to act solely in the public interest, avoid placing themselves under obligation to others, take decisions on merit, submit to scrutiny, act transparently, declare private interests, and promote these values by leadership and example. The First Report also recommended the appointment of a Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, a Code of Conduct for MPs, and the establishment of an independent advisory body on ministerial appointments. The Committee operates on a standing basis, periodically issuing reports on topics such as party funding, local government conduct, and the regulation of public appointments.

The Nolan Principles have travelled well beyond Britain and are routinely cited as a benchmark for public-service ethics worldwide. In India, the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) in its reports — particularly the fourth report, Ethics in Governance (2007) — drew on the Nolan framework when recommending a code of ethics for public servants and a National Ethics Commission. As of 2026 the UK Committee on Standards in Public Life continues to function as a non-departmental advisory body, and the seven principles remain embedded in the Civil Service Code and the Ministerial Code. The principles have informed comparative discussions on conflict of interest, declaration of assets and institutional integrity mechanisms across Commonwealth jurisdictions.

For the UPSC Civil Services Examination, the Nolan Committee is a high-yield topic in General Studies Paper IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude). Questions typically ask candidates to enumerate and explain the Seven Principles of Public Life, to compare them with indigenous frameworks such as the values recommended by the Second ARC or the proposed Public Service Bill, or to apply the principles to case studies involving conflict of interest, transparency and accountability. Aspirants should be able to attribute the principles to the 1995 First Report, name Lord Nolan and the originating "cash for questions" context, and deploy the principles as analytical tools in the case-study section. The principles also surface in essays and answers on probity in governance, foundational values of civil service, and codes of conduct versus codes of ethics.