Motion calls for leak report to be published
THE Welsh Government’s top civil servant is to face an unprecedented Senedd motion aimed at forcing her to publish the report into allegations that news of Carl Sargeant’s sacking was leaked before he was told he was being removed from the Cabinet.
Mr Sargeant is believed to have committed suicide last November, four days after being dismissed as Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children after unspecified allegations of sexual harassment were made against him. He strongly denied the allegations.
Permanent secretary Dame Shan Morgan has told AMs the leak inquiry could find no evidence of the prior unauthorised disclosure of Mr Sargeant’s sack- ing, but she has refused to publish the report.
Last month AMs passed a motion calling on her to do so, but she has refused.
A motion has now been submitted for discussion by the Business Committee after the Assembly’s Easter recess that, if passed, would leave Dame Shan open to prosecution if she continues to refuse to publish the report.
The motion refers to Section 37 of the Government of Wales Act 2006, which allows AMs to require any person to produce any Welsh Government document in their possession. Names would be redacted to protect the anonymity of people who provided evidence to the investigation.
The relevant power has never previously been used and would represent a first for the Assembly.
Independent AM Neil McEvoy, who has submitted the motion, said: “The Labour Welsh Government claims to be open and transparent but the Permanent Secretary is refusing to release an investigation that is clearly in the public interest.
“People in Wales have a right to see this investigation and that’s why I’ve invoked the Government of Wales Act to demand it is released. The Government has already ignored one call from the democratically elected representatives of Wales. I now hope AMs from all parties can support the motion so that we can ensure the Welsh Government operates in an open way.
“There are still so many questions around the controversial reshuffle that took place in November 2017. But rather than help answer those questions the Welsh Government seems intent on secrecy. That’s no way for a Government to operate. Labour needs to come out of the shadows.”
The text of Mr McEvoy’s motion reads: “To propose that the National Assembly for Wales, acting in accordance with Section 37(1)(b) of the Government of Wales Act 2006, requires the Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government to produce for the purposes of the Assembly, with appropriate redactions to ensure anonymity of witnesses, the report of the investigation into whether there was any evidence of prior unauthorised sharing of information relating to the November 2017 Ministerial reshuffle.”
A Welsh Conservative spokesman said: “We welcome all efforts to ensure the leak inquiry report is published.
“As we’ve said all along, and as our letter to the Permanent Secretary outlined on March 1, we remain committed to exploring all options available to us, including use of the Government of Wales Act.
“We will be working across the Chamber over the coming days to ensure our scheduled parliamentary time on Wednesday, April 18, is used most appropriately.”
A Plaid Cymru spokeswoman said: “The Plaid Cymru Assembly group has already been discussing this issue with other opposition parties to consider what the next steps might be.
“As is the case with all non-Plaid Cymru motions, we will be discussing it at our next group meeting.”
The Assembly Labour group is set to discuss the issue after Easter.
The Welsh Government was contacted for a comment.