ABSTRACT
Audit and inspection regimes have long been a mainstay of public services across the globe, focusing upon key indicators such as fi nancial performance, accountability, quality issues, responsiveness to clients, citizens and consumers, and so on. Ethical audit regimes do not have such a long history, although the last decade has seen considerable growth in this area in the UK and across Europe: standards of behaviour of appointed and elected public offi cials have been put under ever-increasing scrutiny. In the UK, for example, ethical frameworks have been introduced for both local politicians and parliamentarians.
