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standards, MP bullying, member complaints

The Standards Review sub-committee issues call for evidence

24 June 2014

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The Standards Review Sub-Committee has published its issues and questions paper for its inquiry into the standards system in the House of Commons.

The inquiry will examine the current system for consideration of complaints about Members of Parliament, and will consider improvements as required. The paper sets out the background to the role of Members of Parliament in the context of political parties, Parliament and the electorate, as well as setting out the current House of Commons standards system, including the role of the Committee on Standards and the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

The Sub-Committee invites written submissions by Friday 8 August. It would welcome general reflections on how to embed the seven principles of public life (the Nolan principles), as well as answers to the following specific questions, which are explored in depth in the issues and questions paper:

Self-Regulation in the House of Commons

See ‘Self-Regulation in the House of Commons’ in the issues and questions paper for bullets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

  1. Given that MPs do not enjoy parliamentary immunity, and are subject to the criminal law in the same way as are other citizens, is self-regulation (with external input from lay members and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards) appropriate? If self-regulation is not appropriate, precisely what further matters should be externally regulated, and what should be the regulatory mechanism?
  2. Should there be changes to the position of lay members?
  3. Should there be changes to the balance between lay members and MPs on the Committee?
  4. Should proposals endorsed by the Committee on Standards automatically come to the floor of the House for decision within a set period of time?
  5. How accessible are the existing rules governing Members' conduct to interested outsiders or to Members themselves?

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Committee on Standards

See ‘The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Committee on Standards’ in the issues and questions paper for bullets 6 and 7

  1. In a self-regulatory system, what can be done to ensure that MPs engage with the rules?
  2. Is there a way of ensuring that MPs display more leadership in ethical standards and rules of behaviour?

Investigation of complaints

See ‘Investigation of complaints’ in the issues and questions paper for bullets 8, 9 and 10

  1. Are the arrangements for considering complaints proportionate?
  2. Are the arrangements fair?
  3. Should there be some mechanism for providing legal or other support for Members investigated by the Commissioner?

Penalties

See ‘Penalties’ in the issues and questions paper for bullets 11 and 12

  1. Are the existing penalties appropriate?
  2. Have existing penalties been effective?

Note

The Seven Principles of Public Life are Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership. They were set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

How to submit your evidence

The personal information you supply will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purposes of attributing the evidence you submit and contacting you as necessary in connection with its processing.

Each submission should:

  1. clearly state who it is from, for example ‘Written from X’;
  2. be no more than 3,000 words in length;
  3. be in Word format with as little use of colour or logos as possible; and
  4. have numbered paragraphs.

If you need to send a paper copy please send it to:

The Clerk,
Committee on Standards,
House of Commons,
London
SW1A 0AA

Please note that:

  • Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission, but may be referred to within a proposed memorandum, in which case a web link to the published work should be included.
  • Once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. It is the Committee’s decision whether or not to accept a submission as formal written evidence.
  • The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), or by making it available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
  • Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.
  • Further guidance on submitting evidence to Select Committees is available online

Further information