6. Debate on the Assembly's Dignity and Respect Policy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:09 pm on 16 May 2018.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Jayne Bryant Jayne Bryant Labour 4:09, 16 May 2018

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. Thank you very much to everybody who's spoken today. I really do appreciate all of your contributions, and I encourage all Members of this Chamber to engage with the committee's work over the coming months to ensure that no inappropriate behaviour has any place in this Assembly. Again, as I've said, and a number of you have picked up on, it is really a positive step in the right direction, but again, I must underline this is really a starting point, and there is still much to be done. The committee's work is ongoing, and Members will be kept updated. The next step will be to publish the Standards of Conduct Committee's report, which we aim to do, hopefully before the summer recess.

I'd like to, firstly, thank the Llywydd for her comments and her strong support to get this right throughout the whole process. It's really important that she's on board and very keen to do this. As the Llywydd said in her contribution, it's not just about the policy and complaints procedure that we have in place; it's about the culture of the organisation and how we respond to allegations that will make the difference, and those issues will be an ongoing challenge. And the Standards of Conduct Committee, as I said, will continue to look at that and those issues.

Janet Finch-Saunders, I'm very grateful for your comments and strong support, and your strong commitment to stamping out any question of inappropriate behaviour. It's crucial that people have confidence in that procedure. So, thank you. Llyr, there's an opportunity to thank you and other committee members for all your support, because we are a cross-party committee, and I appreciate you underlining how this is important work and part of our ongoing work, because it's certainly part of a wider piece of work that we will be doing.

Neil Hamilton, thank you for your comments and your support on this policy. I'd just like to say that the standards commissioner is independent and he investigates any complaints as a first port of call. Vikki Howells, thank you again for your support, and you mentioned in that the dignity and respect training that I and the Llywydd and the Deputy Llywydd have undertaken and, I think, other Members. I would like to see as many Members, if not all Members, really, doing this really, really important training. So, I think that's something that we should, importantly, make time for.

Siân, as you've said, the definition is clear in the policy and your contribution highlighted the wider context that must be addressed and you've mentioned that national conversation, and I really look forward to working with you and seeing how the committee can take part in that as well. Jane Hutt, you mentioned that we all have to live with dignity and respect and we all have to lead with it as an agenda, and we do really need to be doing that in the Assembly. I welcome the setting up of the cross-party group, and I look forward to working with you, as I'm sure the standards committee will be as well. Thank you to Julie Morgan for her intervention, because I'm sure that the points that you've raised will be looked at in the wider context of the Assembly's work and the standards committee's work.

So, just thank you to everybody who's made a comment today and it is an important step forward. This is a responsibility on all of us and I urge all Members to support this today. Thank you.