Jane Dodds is calling for legislation to be introduced to help ensure that Members of the Senedd are held to a high standard of public accountability.
The Mid and West Wales MS said at the Senedd that legislation of that kind is already within the Welsh Government’s programme - particularly the element of deliberate political deception and making that an offence through an independent process.
Video from Senedd.tv
The Mid and West Wales MS said at the Senedd that legislation of that kind is already within the Welsh Government’s programme - particularly the element of deliberate political deception and making that an offence through an independent process.
Video from Senedd.tv
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00:00can step in and support those, in particular, the most vulnerable.
00:04Jane Dodds.
00:05Jane Dodds AM.
00:06Good afternoon, First Minister.
00:08One piece of legislation that I know is within your programme is around a Bill on Member
00:14Accountability, particularly the element of deliberate political deception, and to make
00:21that an offence through an independent process.
00:24Public trust in politicians right now is at an all-time low, with only 9 per cent of
00:30the public expressing confidence in us, the lowest it's been in 40 years, and more than
00:36half of UK voters, 58 per cent, believe that politicians almost never tell the truth.
00:44And we only need to look to yesterday and the new President of the United Statesóand
00:50I absolutely do not share the endorsement by the party opposite, who a President, when
00:57he was the President the first time round, his presidency was marked by an astonishing
01:0521 falsehoods a day, according to The Washington Post.
01:11So, First Minister, we never want to see that here in Wales, and we don't have that problem
01:16in Wales, but we do need legislation in order to ensure that we have a Senedd that is absolutely
01:24beginning to restore trust in people in Wales.
01:28Diolch yn fawr iawn.
01:29Janet Finch-Saunders AM Thanks very much.
01:30The Welsh Government is committed to bringing forward legislation in relation to the disqualification
01:34of Members and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception.
01:38You will be aware that the Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee is conducting an inquiry
01:45into individual Member accountability, which includes consideration of both recall and
01:52deception issues, and we're looking forward to receiving the reports and recommendations
01:57of the committees.