MS banned from Senedd over behaviour can return

Rhys ab Owen had been suspended from the Senedd for 42 days

A politician who was banned for six weeks over his behaviour will be allowed to return to the Welsh Parliament today.

Rhys ab Owen was found to have inappropriately touched and swore at two women while drunk on a night out.

The Senedd unanimously agreed on a 42-day suspension in March, the longest sanction against a member that has ever been implemented.

In a statement to the Senedd before his ban, Mr ab Owen said his behaviour on the night "fell far short of the standard expected of a public official, and for that I do apologise unreservedly".

"I accept responsibility for my behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour".

A report from the standards committee of the Senedd said in March that he denied inappropriate touching of the women concerned.

The MS for South Wales Central continues to be suspended from Plaid Cymru whilst an internal investigation takes place.

An investigation by the standards commissioner, Douglas Bain, found Mr ab Owen swore at the complainant twice in a street near a pub, and touched her inappropriately by putting his arm around her waist and pulling her body close to his.

Later, in a taxi, the MS was said to have squeezed the complainant's upper thigh "hard with his hand".

Mr Bain said Rhys ab Owen had shown "no remorse" for the events in June 2021.

His investigation was considered by the standards committee of the Senedd, which recommended a 42-day suspension.

If Rhys ab Owen had been an MP he would have faced a recall petition which could lead to a by-election. No such process currently exists in Wales.

Politicians from all parties have said a recall system should be introduced, and the Presiding Officer Elin Jones backs those calls.

Ms Jones has said there was significant consensus across the political parties that there needed to be a recall system for the future.

Speaking to the BBC Walescast podcast, she said: "Politicians, elected members, often let the people who voted for them down, and the people who voted for them need to be able to express the view that they shouldn’t continue in their job".

A complicating factor is the Senedd's electoral system.

Under the new system due to be introduced in 2026, there will be no by-elections at all, because they are elected from a party list.

The standards committee are now looking into how such a system would work in the Senedd.

'Proportionate'

The investigation into Rhys ab Owen's conduct has also raised concerns about the complaints system in the Senedd.

While Mr ab Owen had told he Senedd he accepted the "punishment given to me", he has expressed reservations about the process, complaining about how long it took and a lack of transparency.

Elin Jones has denied accusations from former Plaid assembly member Nerys Evans that Senedd harassment was not taken seriously.

The presiding officer, also known as the Llywydd, said the sanction handed out to Mr ab Owen shows they do take complaints seriously.

But she said the standards committee will also be looking at whether changes need to be made to the complaints system.

She said: "We need to think about how we have a proportionate [system] and something that's reflective of the seriousness of some of the accusations that can be made against individuals.

"We have serious accusations made against members and we need to have a standards process that fully reflects and is able to deal with those in a timely and in an appropriate fashion".