Keeping them honest: accountability and regulation

The controversies surrounding advisers, alongside their increased influence in modern government, raises the normative question of how to hold advisers to account for their actions. This chapter analyses the regulation of ministerial advisers in the United States, Westminster, and European jurisdictions, and considers the different facets of accountability that apply to advisers. It outlines the notion of accountability in public governance and considers the constitutional context for advisers, examines the regulatory methods utilised to target ministerial advisers, and analyses the role of external scrutineers, focussing on parliamentary accountability as well as the role of the media and oversight bodies in ensuring accountability.