T he Information Centre SPICe An t-lonad Fiosrachaidh Briefing for the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on petition PE1935: Create an Independent Committee to judge whether Scottish Ministers have broken the Ministerial Code, lodged by Dillon Crawford Brief overview of issues raised by the petition • The Scottish Ministerial Code (“Ministerial Code”) is a code of conduct for members of the Scottish Government including the First Minister, Cabinet Secretaries, Law Officers and Junior Scottish Ministers. • The Ministerial Code includes the ‘overarching duty’ on Ministers to comply with the law and to abide by the Seven Principles of Public Life (a set of ethical standards which apply to all holders of public office). • The enforcement of the Ministerial Code is set out in paragraphs 1.6 and 1.7 of the Code.