Senedd Cymru (Member Accountability and Elections) Act 2026

19 Report on applying code of conduct to conduct while a candidate in an election

(1) The Presiding Officer must table a motion that complies with subsection (2)—

(a) as soon as practicable after the first meeting of Senedd Cymru following the enactment of this Act, and

(b) in any event, no later than six months after the first meeting of the Senedd following the enactment of this Act.

(2) The motion must propose—

(a) either that—

(i) the Senedd establish a committee to carry out an inquiry into the matter described in subsection (3), or

(ii) a Senedd committee named in the motion carries out the inquiry into the matter described in subsection (3);

(b) that a report of the inquiry must be completed by the committee and laid before the Senedd.

(3) The matter is the question of whether and, if so, how a code of conduct for Members of the Senedd should apply to the conduct of a Member of the Senedd in relation to a period when the member was a candidate at a Senedd election (whether or not the member was holding office as a Member of the Senedd at the time).

(4) Subsection (5) applies if, following an inquiry into the matter described in subsection (3) by a committee pursuant to a motion tabled in accordance with subsection (1), a report on the inquiry is laid before the Senedd by the committee.

(5) If this subsection applies, the Welsh Ministers must lay before the Senedd a statement that sets out the Welsh Ministers’ response to the report mentioned in subsection (4).

(6) In this section, “Presiding Officer” means the Presiding Officer of Senedd Cymru elected in accordance with section 25 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32).