New independent inquiries for MP's staff and House of Lords
7 November 2018
Ms Gemma White QC has been appointed to conduct the Inquiry into the nature and extent of bullying and harassment (including sexual harassment and any systemic behaviours) of past and present staff of Members of Parliament and of other people engaged in Parliamentary work on their behalf, and of Members of Parliament themselves.
Her appointment arises from the recommendation of the cross-party steering group on implementing the new Independent Complaints and Grievance Policy (ICGP) that there should be an independent inquiry to hear from those members of the parliamentary community who had experienced bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct, but who were not covered by the ambit of Dame Laura Cox's inquiry, which looked at House of Commons staff.
The findings of Ms White's Inquiry will be published direct to the House of Commons. It is expected that her Inquiry will be finished in the Spring of 2019.
The Inquiry will proceed in two stages. The first will consider issues relating to the treatment of staff and others working directly for Members of Parliament either in the House of Commons or in constituency offices now and in the past. The second stage will consider issues relating to the treatment of Members of Parliament by each other and by Parliamentary Staff.
No contributor to the Inquiry will be identified and all submissions will be treated in complete confidence.
As resolved by the House of Commons on 19 July 2018, the Inquiry will not investigate specific allegations against individuals or reopen past cases. The Inquiry will, however, consider what options are best available for resolving current or historical allegations and the support available to those affected.
All political parties with members in the House of Commons have been asked to encourage current and previous parliamentary staff (including those working in constituency offices, as interns or as unpaid staff) to engage with the Inquiry and to bring forward information that will assist Ms White to fulfil her terms of reference.
In a letter to all Members' staff and former staff, the parties say:
“It is important for the restoration of faith in the way the House and its members treat those working for us that as wide a range as possible of testimony is offered to the Inquiry. The parliamentary community must ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and we hope that the outcome of Gemma White's Inquiry will help us to do that”.
Ms White has written to current staff in the House of Commons and others working for MPs encouraging them to come forward if they have information for her Inquiry. Her letter is also being sent to over 7,000 past members of staff.
The House of Lords has also launched an independent inquiry into bullying and harassment.
The Lords Commission today tasked its external members with establishing an independent inquiry into the experience of bullying and harassment in the House.
The inquiry, which will be conducted independently of the House, will be open to contributions from Members and Members' staff, as well as staff of the House of Lords and bicameral staff. All participants will be given the opportunity to share their experience of bullying or harassment in complete confidence.
The Lords Commission has decided to commission this inquiry to run alongside the House of Commons' planned second inquiry to ensure that the process of hearing the testimony of people in the Lords can begin as quickly as possible. While the exact terms of reference for the review will be set by the external members of the Commission, it is anticipated they will reflect those of Dame Laura Cox's inquiry into bullying and harassment of Commons Service staff, and the Gemma White Inquiry (see above).
Contributing to the Inquiry
Please find below a letter from Gemma White QC inviting staff of Members of Parliament and others engaged in Parliamentary work on their behalf to contribute to the inquiry. Also attached is a letter from the Clerk of the House and a note from Parliamentary parties.