Over the term of the current Parliament, concerns have been raised about the propriety and actions of formal and informal special advisers to the Secretaries of State for Education and Defence, the Prime Minister and First Minister of the Scottish Government. In 2012, PASC carried out an inquiry on special advisers.
Following the publication of the Government Response, the Committee wrote to the Cabinet Office about Special Advisers and quasi-judicial decisions by ministers; and transparency around numbers and pay bands of special advisers.
The Chair's letter to the Cabinet Office and their response can be found in publications section below under "correspondence".