Group 8: Nolan Principles (Amendment 46)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:44 pm on 13 March 2019.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 4:44, 13 March 2019

Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you to the Minister and the Member in charge. Clearly, there are many people who have contacted me, and no doubt others, who have concerns about their own experiences where their complaints, which weren't directly about an officer or officers, nonetheless had at their core allegations regarding the conduct of an officer or officers, and hence, this issue has been raised with us. It's not something we've thought up just to cause further problems for the Assembly or the ombudsman's office. We recognise the further work that the Member in charge has put into this, and acknowledge and welcome, as I stated, the update to the explanatory memorandum. Therefore, although I'll withdraw this amendment, we still think this is a pertinent issue meriting further consideration as we move forward, where, again, too often I've seen the voice of the person or persons to whom the allegations apply being quoted as one of the reasons not to uphold a complaint, when hopefully the objectivity of an inquiry would ensure that that could not happen. Thank you.