First Minister asks for review into rules after donation storm
AFTER weeks of pressure, Vaughan Gething has asked for a review of Senedd rules into donations to politicians.
Mr Gething received more than £250,000 towards his campaign to be elected Welsh Labour leader and in turn First Minister.
The sum is considerably more than any other Welsh political campaign.
Of that amount, £200,000 came from a businessman convicted of environmental offences.
Mr Gething has refused requests from opposition politicians for an external independent investigation but an internal Labour Party review is ongoing, led by former First Minister Carwyn Jones.
Now Mr Gething has asked the Senedd’s standards committee to “consider and bring forward proposals to update the standing orders and code of conduct in relation to donations made to members of the Senedd”. He has no formal power to compel a review and it is up to the committee to decide whether they will investigate and, if they do, any terms of reference.
In a letter to the standards committee chair, Labour MS Vikki Howells, Mr Gething admits the donations caused “anxieties” for his Senedd colleagues: “I recognise the level of concern raised regarding donations to my campaign as part of the Welsh Labour leadership contest. I very much regret the anxieties this caused for other members and I take seriously the work of seeking a resolution with the input of colleagues.”
Last week, both the opposition Conservative and Plaid groups put forward debates about the donations. The Conservatives called for an independent inquiry while Plaid Cymru wanted a cap on donations. Labour voted against both.
In his letter to Ms Howells, Mr Gething continues: “While Senedd debates have shown it is accepted that the decisions taken complied with existing rules, the wider questions, reservations and concerns raised underscore the need for action that allows us to look at welldeveloped reforms that are fit for the future.
“It is important we work collectively to ensure that the rules and processes relating to political donations are robust, transparent and have the confidence of the public. I have considered carefully the range of views expressed by colleagues in recent weeks and given thought to the best route to developing considered reforms that can have a lasting impact. It is, of course, important that proposed reforms are given careful and detailed consideration and that collectively we put the interests of our democratic traditions ahead of any narrow party political priority. With an approach based on evidence and joint working, my hope is that we can draw on the vast areas of agreement that exist across the Senedd.
“The standards committee plays an integral role in considering these important questions. It is well placed, I believe, to now consider proposals to consider and bring forward proposals to update the standing orders and code of conduct in relation to donations made to members of the Senedd.
“It will of course be for the committee to decide their own terms of reference in such work. However, it would seem sensible for consideration to be given to meaningful and workable changes concerning the following areas in relation to donations, the level of reporting and disclosure, and whether there should be a cap on donations from any one entity or individual.
“It is important that we consider the nature of contributions that are clearly acceptable to the Senedd but may be disqualified by rules that overly simplistic [sic]. For instance the treatment of donations provided in wills or via collective contributions from workers via their democratic trades unions should be considered carefully. It is also important that a thorough and dispassionate view is taken of the existing protections that are in place and have worked well in preventing conflicts of interest.”
He said he will also ask the Welsh Government’s propriety and ethics director to “consider recommendations on how to strengthen public confidence regarding any potential conflicts of interest where a member of the Senedd is also a member of the government”.
He also says he wants a register of lobbyists in Wales and has been writing to the leader of Plaid Cymru over a proposed recall system for the Senedd.
Responding to the First Minister’s letter to Ms Howells, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Vaughan Gething’s contribution to the Standards Committee’s suggestion box will not cut the mustard.
“It’s not just the sum of the donations, but crucially the source, that has concerned many people across Wales and within Gething’s own party. The only way we will be able to put those concerns to bed is with a full independent investigation.”