Section 66: Matters referred to monitoring officers
151.Section 66 gives the Secretary of State the power to make regulations to determine the way in which matters referred under sections 60(2) or 64(2) to a monitoring officer of a relevant authority should be dealt with.
152.These regulations may:
enable a monitoring officer to conduct an investigation in respect of matters referred to him and make a report or recommendations to the standards committee of the relevant authority in respect of those matters;
enable the standards committee to consider any report or recommendations made by the monitoring officer, taking such action as may be prescribed by the regulations;
make provisions for the publicity to be given to any such report, recommendations or action;
confer powers of investigation on a monitoring officer and confer rights on any member who is the subject of an investigation;
enable a standards committee to censure or suspend a member or former member. A right of appeal would be conferred on any member subject to such action;
enable the ethical standards officer to direct the way in which matters referred should be dealt with by the monitoring officer.
