Plenary, 31 Jan 2008
Meeting date: Thursday, January 31, 2008
Official Report
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Point of Order
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I truly regret having to raise this as a point of order. Earlier today, Mrs Helen Eadie accused Mrs Sandra White of not having declared an interest. I raised that as a point of order with the Deputy Presiding Officer, whom I invited to invite Mrs Eadie to withdraw the accusation, which was wholly without foundation.
Presiding Officer, I do not have to tell you that to be accused of failing to register an interest is a serious matter. I ask you therefore to reflect on the Official Report of today's meeting and to consider what was said without foundation and the points of order that I made. Will you consider referring the matter to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to allow a judgment to be made? Members have a qualified privilege in the chamber, but they cannot be allowed to make accusations about another member and, when they are shown that those accusations are false, neither withdraw them nor apologise to the other member and to the chamber.
Presiding Officer, will you reflect on the situation, take the matter further and have it dealt with in the manner in which it should be dealt?
First, let me say that I consider that point of order to be a challenge to a ruling that has already been given from the chair. I do not welcome that.
There are serious issues involved, but the register of interests is a matter not for the Presiding Officer but for the code of conduct. The matter has been ruled on and I strongly suggest that we move on.