Holyrood set to axe 1-year time limit on sexual assault claims
HoLYrooD chiefs are set to lift a one-year time bar on sexual harassment complaints after a third of women working at the Scottish parliament said they had been victims.
The proposals will mean staff at the parliament can raise an official complaint even if the alleged incident happened some years ago.
This could open the door for a wave of historic allegations against former MSPs, staff members and all those who have worked in the building.
Yesterday a report was published by Holyrood’s joint working group setting out plans for a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexism.
Besides the removal of a one-year time bar on complaints, it recommends that all incidents are investigated independently of parliament and political parties – whether the accused is an MSP or staff member.
The proposals follow a survey which found 30 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men had experienced sexual harassment or sexism while working at Holyrood.
As well as setting out recommendations for dealing with incidents listed in the report, it includes a guide to help staff identify what might be classed as sexist behaviour.
This includes speaking to someone of one gender in a way you would not to another, for example ‘asking mothers about the impact of childcare on their job but not asking the same question of fathers’.
The new policy sets out a zero- tolerance approach and outlines examples of sexual harassment, including unwanted persistent attention to form an intimate relationship.
one of the key recommendations states that Holyrood bosses must lift a one-year time limit on complaints.
It states: ‘While it is always better to raise an issue as soon as possible after it has happened, we recognise this might not happen for legitimate and understandable reasons.
‘The revised procedures we are proposing are designed to make people feel more confident about raising a complaint. For these reasons, we do not believe there should be a time limit to raising a complaint.
‘This also means formal complaints can be taken against people who no longer work here.’
It adds that each complaint will be ‘dealt with on its own merits and how far back the allegations go’, whether it was a ‘one-off incident or whether the behaviour has recurred’.
The recommendations to have formal complaints investigated independently of parliament and political parties would mean MSPs would be investigated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner for Scotland. An independent investigator would examine complaints against all other people at parliament.
The new policy is being consulted on before being finalised.
In a joint letter, Presiding officer ken Macintosh and chief executive Sir Paul Grice said the plans aim to ‘achieve a real culture of respect at Holyrood’.
They state: ‘We each have a duty to ensure our behaviour meets the standard expected and to challenge the behaviour of others that falls short.
‘While we want to ensure any complaint is dealt with sensitively and fairly, we remain focused on preventing sexual harassment happening.’
‘Zero tolerance approach’