Standards system for MPs must be public

13 Jun 02
Elizabeth Filkin has said that any future changes to the Parliamentary standards system in the UK should be made with full public scrutiny in mind.

14 June 2002

The former standards commissioner, who quit the post in February, told the CIPFA conference that it was crucial that the standards system continued to be self-regulating.

But, she added: 'It's critical that these arrangements constantly turn themselves to the public, so that those who oversee it consider constantly how it comes across to the public.'

She added that the House of Commons Commission, set up to oversee the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner, should not have 'held to itself' crucial powers, such as the ability to change the rules on the registration of financial interests.

The commission's actions, she argued, had undermined public confidence in Parliament.

But Tony Holland, chair of the Standards Board for England, which oversees local government, warned against the development of a heavy-handed approach to scrutiny and added: 'You can put people off by over-regulating.'

PFjun2002

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