A draft version of legislation to give people in Wales the power
to remove Senedd Members who seriously break conduct rules has
been published today (6 October).
Publishing the draft Senedd Cymru (Member Accountability and
Elections) Bill will allow Senedd Members and others more time to
see its scope and direction before formal introduction later this
year.
Work continues on the preparation of the Bill and there may be
changes before it is introduced to the Senedd.
The legislation would strengthen democratic standards by
introducing a recall mechanism for the Senedd, with two clear
triggers that would lead to a Member becoming subject to a recall
poll:
- Where a Member is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment,
including suspended sentences; and
- Where the Senedd agrees a recommendation from the Standards
of Conduct Committee that a Member should be subject to a recall
poll as a result of serious misconduct.
The draft Bill includes a statutory requirement for every Senedd
to establish a Standards of Conduct Committee, which could – for
the first time – include independent lay members to bring
external, independent expertise to the Senedd's standards
process.
The Commissioner for Standards would also have additional powers
to investigate concerns about Members' conduct.
It also amends Welsh Ministers' powers to set rules about how
Senedd elections are run. In order to address deliberate
deception, this will include a duty on Welsh Ministers to
prohibit false statements in future conduct orders governing
Senedd elections.
Counsel General and Minister for Delivery said:
"People in Wales deserve representatives who uphold the highest
standards of conduct.
"This draft legislation sets out to build stronger foundations
for Welsh democracy: To ensure that when Members seriously breach
those standards, voters have the power to hold them directly
accountable.
"Based on the Standards Committee's recommendations, this is
about strengthening democratic integrity and ensuring that
serious misconduct has real consequences - because trust in our
democracy depends on Members being answerable to the people they
serve."
The Bill is expected to be introduced to the Senedd later this
autumn. If passed it will establish the framework for recall and
clarify the powers to introduce an offence of deliberate
deception by candidates with full implementation, including
detailed guidelines and secondary legislation, to be completed in
the next Senedd term.
Notes to editors
The publication of the Senedd Cymru (Member Accountability and
Elections) Bill follows extensive consultation and evidence
gathering by the Senedd's Standards of Conduct Committee.
The Standards of Conduct Committee published two reports into
Individual Member Accountability: Individual Member
Accountability – Recall on 23 January; and Individual Member
Accountability – Deliberate Deception on 19 February.
https://www.llyw.cymru/drafft-bil-senedd-cymru-atebolrwydd-aelodau-ac-etholiadau
https://www.gov.wales/draft-senedd-cymru-member-accountability-and-elections-bill
Datganiad Ysgrifenedig:
Bil drafft Senedd Cymru (Atebolrwydd Aelodau ac Etholiadau) (6
Hydref 2025) | LLYW.CYMRU
Written Statement: Draft
of the Senedd Cymru (Member Accountability and Elections) Bill (6
October 2025) | GOV.WALES
