Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. The National Assembly for Wales must lead the way in ensuring it's clear that inappropriate behaviour has no place in our society. The committee’s report marks an important step towards creating the kind of environment in which we all want to work. As a committee, we were keen to highlight that it can sometimes be simple things that break down barriers and bring about change.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the committee members—including Llyr Gruffydd and Paul Davies, who have since left—for their hard work and determination to ensure that every effort was made to come up with recommendations that will bring about real change. We know that this report does not produce all the answers, but it is an important step forward for this institution. I’d also like to thank everyone who gave evidence to the inquiry. Some of this evidence was gathered in a confidential environment, and we're incredibly grateful for the people sharing their experiences and expertise. I’d also like to thank everybody for their patience for the time it has taken. We have acted to make changes, such as incorporating the dignity and respect policy, as soon as we could, but we felt it was incumbent on us to ensure we received the widest possible evidence to inform our report.

Over the last few years there has been extensive coverage about inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment across society. People from a wide range of sectors have spoken about their experiences of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. In 2016, the Trades Union Congress and the Everyday Sexism Project conducted a survey that found that 52 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment at work—and it is very worrying that 79 per cent of these women did not tell their employer. The #MeToo—a step that has allowed people across the globe to speak out and voice their concerns—has demonstrated the need for change is undeniable. Politics is certainly no exception. As elected politicians, we have a responsibility to ensure that we set the highest examples and standards to wider society. It's imperative that every one of us takes responsibility. We must not tolerate inappropriate behaviour within our institution, and it must be called out wherever we see it. This the very least we can do.

The committee made 21 recommendations in the report, which are intended to raise the bar. Listening to those who gave evidence to us left us in no doubt that things must change. We're intending to put into place a number of improvements that will make the complaints process more accessible and tailored to address the needs of people who want to raise concerns. These include the right of appeal and a longer time frame for complaints to be made. We must have a system that enables and empowers people to come forward and raise concerns, instead of unintentionally placing barriers in front of them. The system has to be flexible so that people are assured that their individual concerns will be treated sensitively.

We're also working on proposals to change the code of conduct. The committee believe that more can be done to make sure that people know what they should expect from us. The code was produced following the expenses scandal at Westminster and explicitly took account of the rules on financial propriety. While the code encapsulates complaints around dignity and respect by requiring Members to act with personal honour and integrity, we feel there should be clarity regarding what type of behaviour breaches the code.