“Significant gaps” in Northern Ireland standards regime, says Murtagh

FDA National Officer for Northern Ireland Robert Murtagh has called for a strengthened standards regime in Stormont.

Murtagh’s comments followed the recent appointment of former Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan as the new Assembly Commissioner for Standards, for approval by the Assembly. Outlining the issues that exist within the current standards system, Murtagh penned an opinion piece in the Belfast Telegraph, saying: 

“There are significant gaps in the current standards regime, not least that the commissioner is not a permanent role and is paid at a daily or hourly rate. Indeed, the outgoing commissioner Dr Melissa McCullough has raised concerns about “limitations” of the role.

“The Assembly and Ministerial Code exist to guide MLAs and ministers on the standards of conduct they are expected to adhere to as they carry out their public duties. Both codes include reference to the seven principles of public life that include, among others, integrity and honesty.

“In the case of MLAs, the independent commissioner will investigate a complaint and report to the Committee on Standards and Privileges, a cross-party committee of MLAs, on whether a member has contravened the code of conduct.

“After the New Decade, New Approach agreement, the Assembly Commissioner was given the added responsibility of investigating breaches of the Ministerial Code, although you’d be forgiven for asking why this wasn’t the case beforehand.

“While adding the power to investigate breaches of the Ministerial Code was undoubtedly a step in the right direction, it left a glaring omission: there are still no sanctions for a minister who has breached the code.”

Murtagh continued:

“This isn’t an exclusively Northern Ireland problem. In Westminster, the Prime Minister has ultimate responsibility for determining whether a minister has breached the Ministerial Code. The issue is even worse in Northern Ireland. Given we have no Prime Minister, there is no single point of accountability for ministers. The reality is, we’ve seen that politicians across Westminster and Stormont will put political interests above standards.

“Standards are important. When done properly, they ensure the public can trust that when ministers act on their behalf, they do so within clear boundaries and expectations on what is, and isn’t, appropriate.

“For a standards regime to have any real meaning, there must be consequences for poor conduct, otherwise public trust in government will only continue to erode.”