House of Lords: 47 peers rebuked for missing anti-bullying training
- Published
The course was introduced in 2019 as part of a bid to combat bullying and harassment in Parliament
Forty-seven peers have been found in breach of House of Lords rules by failing to attend anti-bullying training on time.
Standards commissioner Lucy Scott-Moncrieff said they had not taken the mandatory course by the 1 April deadline.
The workshop, which aims to help politicians spot harassment, was rolled out to all peers in January 2020.
The original in-person training was moved online last March due to Covid.
In a report, external, Ms Scott-Moncrieff said all 47 peers had now either taken the course, booked a slot, or given her a commitment they will do so.
She said a further four peers remain under investigation for failing to attend the course on time, and will be dealt with in a separate report.
She excused an additional seven peers who also missed the deadline because of "exceptional circumstances," she added.
The "Valuing Everyone" course, covering bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct, was made available to all MPs in February 2019.
Last November, peers voted that everyone in the House of Lords should be required under its code of conduct to complete it by 1 April.
In her report, Ms Scott-Moncrieff said some peers had "overlooked or been unaware" of the requirement to take the training.
Some had said other jobs or their personal lives had "occupied their time and attention," she added, with matters "exacerbated" by the pandemic.
She added that some do not "routinely" use their parliamentary email, or had said IT problems prevented them from receiving emails.
But she said she also had to "bear in mind" the length of time peers had been given to take it, and the fact 700 had met the deadline.
She added that she expected peers who have not taken the course to do so within one month of their next contribution in the Lords.