The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life has called for tougher rules to govern the growth of unaccountable political advisers and spin doctors in Whitehall.

Delivering its sixth report into standards, the Neill Committee said that while the voters believed that conduct in public life had improved, concern had shifted to the workings of government.

The committee called for Parliament to set a limit to the number of political appointees that a government would be allowed to bring into departments to work alongside impartial civil servants.

These special advisers, paid for by the tax payer, would also be subject to a beefed-up code of conduct clarifying the nature of the role that they play in relation to the civil service and departmental heads of information.

The recommendations come after growing criticism from the opposition and other groups that Labour Party-appointed figures are overstepping the mark and could lead to a politicisation of the civil service.

The committee also recommended:

• A criminal law of bribery to deal with corrupt MPs.
• A quasi-legalistic tribunal to deal with major allegations against MPs.
• Proper recording of ministerial meetings with lobbyists.
• The publication of parliamentary party information on the internet.

Revealing the report, committee chairman Lord Neill said: "We believe that the evidence is that on the whole people think that standards have improved.

"But there is no room for complacency and there is room for amendments to the law."

Lord Neill said that the committee had taken a mass of evidence on the role of politically-appointed advisers and said: "There is great advantage from the special adviser system."

"But the numbers have been burgeoning. There should now be consideration given to introducing an overall number.

"You do get to a point where standards issues do arise.

"Parliament should be allowed to consider this issue because at the moment there is no way that someone in Parliament can take a look at it."

"But," he said, "we have not come out with any conclusion that the civil service is being politicised."

Turning to the conduct of MPs, Lord Neill said that alleged breeches of standards could be best dealt with by a special tribunal, chaired by a legal figure from outside Parliament.

Lord Neill stressed that the proposed law of bribery, first suggested 24 years ago, would allow criminal acts to be dealt with by the courts. Had the law existed at the time of the cash-for-questions scandal, former MP Neil Hamilton may have faced a criminal investigation over his conduct.

At the same time, the proposed law seeks to ensure that outside parties can no longer offer payments or inducements to MPs without facing prosecution.

Government defends advisers

Reacting to the report, Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam defended special advisers and said that the government would study the recommendations.

"We have made no secret of the number of advisers or their cost or their work," she said.

"Their role is clearly defined. Cabinet ministers are required to obtain the Prime Minister's approval for all appointments of special advisers."

Parties give mixed response

The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Alan Beith said the report did not go far enough.

"It doesn't seem to us to be a good and proper use of taxpayers' money to have people who are temporarily part of the civil service and operating to a completely different rules dealing with the press as part of this process of trying to influence people," he said.

While the shadow leader of the Commons Sir George Young said the Tories accepted Lord Neill's recommendations and would not obstruct their passage into law.

But he urged the government to "resist the temptation to tweak the recommendations to seek party advantage."