Code of Conduct for House of Lords Members' Staff

Contents

Application
General principles of conduct
Rules of conduct
Criminal offences
Enforcement
Advice
Appendix – Behaviour Code

Application

1. This Code of Conduct for Members’ Staff applies to:

(a) staff who have a parliamentary photo-pass or network account sponsored by a member of the House of Lords for the purpose of providing parliamentary secretarial or research assistance to the member;

(b) members’ spouses or partners who provide such assistance; and

(c) the staff of the opposition whips’ offices.[1]

General principles of conduct

2. The following general principles guide members’ staff in their parliamentary work. They will be taken into consideration when any allegation of a breach of one of the rules of conduct is under investigation, but complaints based solely on alleged failure to adhere to the general principles will not be admitted.

3. Members’ staff should conduct themselves in a manner that maintains and strengthens public trust and confidence in the integrity of the House of Lords.

4. Members’ staff should observe the principles set out in the Parliamentary Behaviour Code[2] of respect, professionalism, understanding others’ perspectives, courtesy, and acceptance of responsibility.

Rules of conduct

Bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct

5. Behaviour that amounts to bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct in the course of members’ staff parliamentary activities is a breach of this Code.

Registration of interests

6. Members’ staff must register in the Register of Members’ Staff Interests:

(a) all paid work except work for the member sponsoring their pass (including all paid work outside the House, for other members of either House and paid directorships);

(b) any gifts, benefits or hospitality of a value greater than £300 from a single source in a calendar year which substantially relate to the individual’s work in Parliament (excluding gifts, benefits or hospitality from the member who sponsors the individual).

7. When registering an interest in an organisation, members’ staff should specify the nature of its business where this is not self-evident.

8. Members’ staff must notify any change in their relevant interests within one month of the change.

9. Members’ staff are expected to respond to the Registrar’s annual audit notice within four weeks. Reminders will be sent but, irrespective of any such reminder, it is a breach of the Code not to respond to the annual audit notice within six weeks of its original sending.

Paid parliamentary advice and services

10. Members’ staff must not accept or agree to accept any payment or other incentive or reward in return for providing parliamentary advice or services.

Confidential information

11. Members’ staff must not disclose draft reports of select committees or other confidential information that is provided to them or to the member who sponsors them.

Criminal offences

12. Members’ staff who are arrested, charged or convicted in connection with a criminal offence must at the first opportunity inform the Clerk of the Parliaments.

Enforcement

13. The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards investigate alleged breaches of this Code. Such investigations are conducted in accordance with the relevant Enforcement procedure, adapted as necessary according to the circumstances.

14. Members’ staff must co-operate, at all stages, with any investigation into their conduct, or that of their sponsoring member, by or under the authority of the House.

15. Members’ staff must respect the confidentiality of investigations.

16. Where a member’s staff is found in breach of this Code, the available sanctions include:

• suspension of the individual’s pass;
• cancellation of the individual’s pass;
• cancellation of the individual’s network account;
• requirement to attend training;
• denial or restriction of access to facilities and services.

17. These sanctions may be imposed by the Conduct Committee without recourse to the House.

18. Nothing in this Code affects the right of Black Rod, the Yeoman Usher or the Director of Security for Parliament to remove a pass at any time for security-related or other reasons.

19. Nothing in this Code affects the right of the Parliamentary Digital Service to cancel a network account at any time for security-related or other reasons.

Advice

20. The Registrar of Lords’ Interests is available to advise members and their staff on compliance with this Code. Members’ staff who, having provided all relevant information, follow the advice of the Registrar in respect of the rules on registering interests and the prohibitions on paid parliamentary advice or services satisfy fully the requirements of this Code

Footnotes

Footnotes are numbered as per the PDF version (pdf, 283KB).

1. The Code does not apply to staff in the Government Whips Office nor staff in the office of the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers.

2. See appendix.