Monday 07 September 2020
Green Party NI Leader Clare Bailey MLA has welcomed the appointment of Dr Melissa McCullough as the new Northern Ireland Commissioner for Standards.
The South Belfast MLA said: “The appointment of Dr McCullough is a welcome development and I hope that it will go some way to improve accountability amongst MLAs and public trust in our political process as a whole.
“Independent oversight and accountability are as important for MLAs sat in the Assembly Chamber as for Ministers sat around the Executive table.
“That’s why we must now see progress on the appointment of a panel to investigate alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.
“The New Decade New Approach deal made provision for a panel of commissioners to investigate alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code. The Finance Minister also detailed a strengthened Code of Conduct for Ministerial Accountability and provided details on the creation of a panel to investigate breaches.
“It’s critical that a panel is appointed as soon as possible and genuine commitment to ministerial accountability is demonstrated.”
ENDS
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