Standards Commissioner set to get extra teeth if planned new law is adopted

A proposed new law (Assembly Measure) would give the National Assembly for Wales’ Commissioner for Standards the power to insist on seeing all evidence relating to a complaint.

At present the Commissioner has to rely on third parties to voluntarily provide the relevant documents and information.

But under the first ever new Assembly Measure to be proposed directly by an Assembly committee, the commissioner could be given the teeth to investigate complaints more rigorously in future.

“This proposed measure will ensure that we have the highest standards of conduct and accountability in public office. The Commissioner, once appointed, will be totally independent of the National Assembly for Wales,’’ said Jeff Cuthbert AM, Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee.

“The Commissioner would therefore be able to investigate complaints against Assembly Members with complete objectivity.

“The law would also give the Commissioner more teeth in terms of compelling third parties to provide relevant information and evidence.”

The proposed Assembly Measure is the first to come from a committee.

Once laid, the principle of the proposed measure will be debated in Plenary and then go back to a legislation committee for further scrutiny.

It would then go back to a full meeting of Plenary, with any amendments, before it could be finally passed by the Assembly and approved by the Queen at a Privy Council meeting.