Government of Wales Act 1998

72 Integrity

(1) The standing orders must include provision for a register of interests of Assembly members and for—

(a) registrable interests (as defined in the standing orders) to be registered in it, and

(b) the publication of the register.

(2) The standing orders must include provision for requiring any Assembly member who has—

(a) a financial interest (as defined in the standing orders) in any matter, or

(b) any other interest, or an interest of any other kind, specified in the standing orders in any matter,

to declare that interest before taking part in any proceedings of the Assembly (including proceedings of a committee of the Assembly or of a sub-committee of such a committee) relating to that matter.

(3) The standing orders may include provision—

(a) for preventing or restricting the participation in any proceedings of the Assembly (including proceedings of a committee of the Assembly or of a sub-committee of such a committee) of an Assembly member if he has a registrable interest, or an interest mentioned in subsection (2), in any matter to which the proceedings relate, and

(b) for preventing or restricting the exercise of a function by a member of the executive committee, or the exercise of a function by an Assembly member by virtue of section 59(6), if he has a registrable interest, or an interest mentioned in subsection (2), in any matter to which the function relates.

(4) The standing orders must include provision prohibiting an Assembly member—

(a) from advocating or initiating any cause or matter on behalf of any person, by any means specified in the standing orders, in consideration of any payment or benefit in kind of a description so specified, or

(b) from urging, in consideration of any such payment or benefit in kind, another Assembly member to advocate or initiate any cause or matter on behalf of any person by any such means.

(5) The standing orders may include provision—

(a) for excluding from proceedings of the Assembly (including proceedings of a committee of the Assembly or of a sub-committee of such a committee) an Assembly member who fails to comply with or contravenes any provision included in the standing orders in pursuance of subsections (1) to (4), and

(b) for withdrawing his rights and privileges as an Assembly member for the period of his exclusion.

(6) An Assembly member who—

(a) takes part in any proceedings of the Assembly (including proceedings of a committee of the Assembly or of a sub-committee of such a committee) without having complied with, or in contravention of, any provision included in the standing orders in pursuance of subsection (1), (2) or (3)(a),

(b) exercises any function in contravention of any provision included in the standing orders in pursuance of subsection (3)(b), or

(c) contravenes any provision included in the standing orders in pursuance of subsection (4),

is guilty of an offence.

(7) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (6) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(8) A prosecution for an offence under subsection (6) shall not be instituted except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.