“The FDA welcomes the House of Commons’ decision to scrap the artificial deadline imposed on those who wish to bring a complaint of bullying or harassment against an MP.
“By following the recommendation made in both Dame Laura Cox QC and Gemma White QC’s reports, the House has accepted that, up until now, there has been no process for investigating complaints that has enjoyed the confidence of staff. As such, it was clear that many of those who had been subjected to abuse had felt unable to bring forward a complaint.
“Addressing this injustice is a critical step in allowing everyone in Parliament to confront past bullying and harassment and, crucially, to move on from it.
“The decision on historical cases is, however, only one of the two key recommendations made in the Dame Laura Cox report. A process that is free from the involvement of MPs has – ten months after the House Commission agreed to implement it – still not been put in place. The necessity for a fully independent procedure was reaffirmed only last week in the Gemma White report, where the author made clear that those who work directly for MPs would not bring complaints forward if MPs had any involvement in the process.
“The House Commission and Parliament now need to stop dragging their feet and implement this final reform. It’s 2019: time to recognise that House of Commons staff deserve a workplace free of fear and intimidation, with working practices fit for the 21st century.”