Agenda and minutes

1.1 Apologies were received from Kirsty Williams. No substitutions are permitted on the Committee under Standing Order 22.4.

SOC(4)-03-13 – Private paper 1

2.1 The Committee considered the draft report.

2.2 Subject to circulation of a final clean version with minor amendments, the report was agreed.

2.3 The Chair noted that the report was scheduled to be published on Thursday 2 May and that a Plenary debate would be arranged in due course, with a view to the Assembly being invited to endorse its recommendations.

SOC(4)-03-13 – Private paper 2

·         Gerard Elias QC – Commissioner for Standards

3.1 The Commissioner introduced his report on amendments to the Assembly’s Sanctions regime.

3.2 The Commissioner noted that in preparing his report he had consulted with all Assembly Members, the Presiding Officer and Party Leaders.

3.3 Members discussed the report and in particular the issues surrounding ‘rights and privileges’, any maximum period of suspension and the importance of making it clear that sanctions against an Assembly Members would not impact on that Members’ support staff. 

3.4 The Chair noted that a Committee report on Sanctions for submission to the Business Committee would be drafted for consideration at the next meeting on 7 May.