Meeting of the Parliament 13 March 2026 [Draft]
This report is timely, and I am grateful to the many colleagues who contributed their experiences to it, both confidentially and anonymously. It is vital that everyone who comes to work at the Parliament comes to a safe and respectful working environment, and that applies to every single member of staff, no matter their role.
This report was an important one to carry out, and, as the Presiding Officer has said, it highlights that, in the overwhelming majority of cases, staff do feel respected, valued and supported at work. However, if even one person has a bad experience here, that is completely unsatisfactory and there is a duty on all of us to address that.
As First Minister, I make it clear to Parliament that a culture of appropriate behaviour is essential to the functioning of our democracy. The report indicates the importance of leadership, a shared determination to ensure respectful working relationships and a collective commitment to make certain that all staff, regardless of who employs them, experience a workplace where they are able to perform at their best. It is vital that anyone with any concerns is able to raise those concerns and have them acted upon in the appropriate fashion.
I commit my party and my Government to being full participants with Parliament in improving the processes for reporting any behaviour that falls below the high standards to which we must all adhere. I commit myself, as First Minister, to contributing in the correct way to the demonstration of leadership and to ensuring that the appropriate culture is present here, in Parliament, at all times.