FM to still have the final say on ministers' breaches of conduct

FIRST Minister Eluned Morgan has confirmed she will continue to have the final say on breaches of conduct by her ministers amid concerns about a lack of independence.

- CHRIS HAINES

Ms Morgan announced that she will establish an independent adviser on ministerial standards, but she decided against giving them power to initiate their own investigations.

She wrote to the Senedd’s public accounts committee after reviewing the ministerial code, which sets out the standards expected of members of the Welsh Government.

Mrs Morgan - who decides if an investigation is warranted, including for complaints about her own conduct - said: “The purpose of the adviser is to advise me as First Minister, not to be an independent regulator of adherence to the ministerial code.

“My ministerial team are answerable to me for that, and I am answerable to the Senedd for their and my own compliance. That is as it should be”

This is a departure from Westminster, where the independent adviser on ministerial standards was given the power to initiate their own investigations in 2024. The Scottish Government has also announced plans to give its adviser similar powers.

The FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, labelled the current system opaque and warned of a vast power imbalance between ministers and staff who raise a complaint.