A Statement from the Director of the ICGS

The ICGS applies to allegations of bullying or harassment or sexual misconduct by and against any member of the parliamentary community on the parliamentary estate, or elsewhere, as long as it is related to their parliamentary work.

Paragraphs 4.4 of both the sexual misconduct and the bullying & harassment policies contain guidance about the scope of Parliamentary activities:

The work of the Parliamentary Community is broad, and may involve office work, public facing work, travel and social events, as well as non-standard working hours. As a result, this policy applies to behaviour by members of the Parliamentary Community in any circumstances relating to their Parliamentary work, regardless of location.

Confidentiality is at the heart of the scheme and in order to protect people using the ICGS we do not comment on individual cases. However, as ICGS Director, I felt that it was important to correct the reporting.

Bullying, harassment and sexual harassment have no place in Parliament. We work hard to ensure that the ICGS is a fair, thorough, independent, confidential and efficient process and that support is available to all users involved in each case. The scheme is there for any member of the Parliamentary Community who is experiencing or has experienced bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct, and we would urge anyone who needs to use it to do so. Please contact the helpline for confidential advice and support. You can call anonymously, as many times as you like. You can also make a formal complaint through the helpline.

Jo Willows

ICGS Director