Foreword
The publication of this, my fifth and final annual
report to the House (covering the period 1 April 2006-31 March
2007), occurs later than usual because of the pressure of other
business which had to be completed in the run-up to the 2007 summer
recess.[1] This is my final
report because, on 28 June, Mr Speaker announced that I will be
stepping down as Commissioner at the end of the year, consequent
on my appointment from 1 January 2008 to a new role as the Prime
Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests.
By then I shall have completed almost six years as
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. So this report provides
a natural opportunity to look back at some of the highlights of
my period of office, and forward to some of the challenges that
will face my successor.
In the introduction to my first annual report, I
noted that I had begun my appointment amid anxiety that the way
in which my predecessor had left office had called into question
public, and some parliamentary confidence in the House's arrangements
for regulating standards of conduct among its Members. I hope
that I am able to leave office with that confidence in large measure
restored: confidence among the public that expected standards
are being upheld effectively; confidence among Members that they
are being upheld fairly and proportionately.
Throughout the past five years I have sought to take
an approach to my role which is both strategic and proportionate:
strategic in the sense that it is proactive and focuses on the
key issues; proportionate in that both policy matters and individual
cases are handled in a manner appropriate to the intrinsic weight
of the issues at stake. This has meant:
- taking opportunities to strengthen
the systems for sustaining high standards among Members
- putting more emphasis on preventing problems
before they arise - with the aim of fostering a culture of compliance
with the House's rules - rather than simply picking up the pieces
afterwards
- being as open as possible about the processes
and procedures allowed, while preserving a proper confidentiality
about the investigation of individual cases.
In the final section of this report, I summarise
some of the progress made in each of these respects over the last
five years, and identify some of the remaining challenges.
The past year has seen its fair share of successes
and challenges too. Progress was made towards:
- reviewing and updating the
Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members
- enabling the future development of a one-stop
registration arrangement for Members
- providing more frequent publication of the Register
of Members' Interests
- strengthening the rules relating to the regulation
of All Party Groups
- improving regulation of the use of certain facilities
and allowances provided to Members by the House.
The principal challenges were created by a significant
rise in the number of complaints against Members falling within
the scope of the Code of Conduct. A major contributory factor
in this was a series of linked complaints by two Members, against
an eventual total of 25 other Members, concerning the alleged
use of the House's private dining facilities for the purposes
of party fundraising. Ten formal reports (including a major one
on this series of complaints) were made to the Committee on Standards
and Privileges in the course of the year and ten more minor complaints
(mostly concerning the alleged misuse of House stationery) were
handled without a formal report under the so-called 'rectification'
procedure. In addition a major inquiry begun four years ago was
pushed near to completion.[2]
2006-07 was therefore an exceptionally busy year
for the Committee on Standards and Privileges and for the staff
of my own small office. Any progress we made during that year,
as in previous years, was due to the efforts of everyone concerned.
In presenting this, my final report to the House, it is fitting
that I should pay tribute to the Chairman, members and successive
Clerks of the Committee, and to my colleagues in my own office
and throughout the House, as well as to my predecessors, without
whose commitment to the House's good name and reputation none
of the progress described would have occurred.
October 2007
Sir Philip Mawer
1 Notably the preparation and submission of my memorandum
on the Conduct of Mr George Galloway - see the Sixth Report of
the Committee on Standards and Privileges of Session 2006-07 (HC
909) Back
2
Ibid Back
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