Senedd members recommended concealing information about politicians giving jobs to their family and friends despite a clear conflict of interest.
When the Senedd expands to 96 members next year, politicians will be banned from giving jobs to their own family members – which has been commonplace over the past 26 years. But a loophole will remain allowing politicians to employ each other’s family.
More than 15 of the current 60 Senedd members (25%) have employed family members, directly or indirectly, in the past and ten (16%) currently do so.
Now, the Senedd’s standards committee, which handles complaints against politicians, has suggested the names of family members be withheld from the public register of interests.
However, half of the politicians who sit on the committee that made the recommendation themselves have family members employed by colleagues at a cost to the public purse.
‘Secret’
Labour committee chair Hannah Blythyn is married to Laura Murton who is employed by first minister Eluned Morgan – according to the current, more open register – and Peredur Owen Griffiths’ spouse Angela has a job with his Plaid Cymru colleague Sioned Williams.
All meetings as part of an inquiry into declarations of interests were held in private, with the public and press excluded, and many of the related documents were declared secret.
Ms Blythyn and Mr Owen Griffiths did not recuse themselves nor declare an interest as the committee finalised its recommendations, according to records of latest meetings.
Their family ties were not mentioned in a 9,000-word report on the behind-closed-doors inquiry but reference was added retrospectively after a journalist raised concerns.
The pair flagged their interests at one earlier meeting but the transcript and video showed this was not in the public declarations part at the start of nearly every committee meeting. Instead, the declaration was made in private then disclosed in brief minutes weeks later.
‘Most opaque’
In the report, Ms Blythyn wrote: “The committee was mindful of the need to minimise the release of information about family members, simply for being related to an elected member.
“To that end, we agreed publishing the names of family members employed by other members on the register was an unnecessary risk to their safety.”
Details would be provided to officials but hidden from public view. Political parties warned of online abuse of politicians’ family members identified through the register. Douglas Bain, the Senedd’s standards commissioner, also recommended omitting names.
Following the first review of the rules in nearly a decade, the report talks a good game on transparency – with the Welsh Parliament characterised as currently the UK’s most opaque.
Under other proposals, politicians would be forced to reveal the amount received from outside jobs – bringing the Senedd in line with parliaments elsewhere in the UK.
‘Freebies’
The committee recommended lowering the current threshold of £350 for declaring gifts, benefits and hospitality – which is higher than elsewhere in the UK – to £280.
Some Senedd members enjoy freebies including tickets to concerts and sporting events.
The Senedd, alongside only the House of Lords, does not require politicians to put a price tag on perks but this would be needed for publication in future. Members would have to provide a value for overseas visits for the public register too.
Politicians with property or shares portfolios would be under a closer microscope, with similar disclosure requirements to other UK parliaments. The Senedd would also introduce a voluntary category for registrations that fall outside strict requirements.
In her foreword, Ms Blythyn said: “Registering and declaring interests is an important tenet of a parliament. It provides transparency around financial interests and material benefits held by elected members which could be thought to influence them and their conduct.”
‘Administrative error’
Ms Blythyn and Mr Owen Griffiths declined to take up an opportunity to reply after concerns about a conflict of interest were put to them.
But an anonymous spokesperson for the standards committee said: “Members are required to declare any interests at the relevant part of Senedd proceedings.
“Due to an administrative error, the original version of the report mistakenly omitted the declarations of interest made by two committee members. We apologise for this error and a correct version of the report is now available on the Senedd website.
“The proposals are based on extensive evidence and consultation responses including from the standards commissioner, political parties and experts from other parliaments.
“The recommendations will now be considered by the Llywydd [speaker Elin Jones], business committee, or the Senedd as appropriate.”