Public Life committee to hold hearings in Belfast

The Committee on Standards in Public Life, which has started a series of public hearings across the UK, is on its way to Belfast.

The committee's country-wide inquiry is looking to help establish whether current arrangements for promoting high standards of conduct in public bodies, local government and the National Health Service are working and how they can be improved.

In January, the Committee, chaired by Sir Alistair Graham, published a consultation paper, setting out key issues and questions, to encourage debate on a wide range of topics, including: Codes of conduct; Independent scrutiny; Organisational culture; Public appointments; and Whistle-blowing.

Commenting on the forthcoming visit to Belfast, Sir Alistair said: "Belfast represents an important case study in how to address standards of conduct issues in a serious and distinctive fashion. We are coming to Belfast to learn about the Northern Ireland approach and to see how the Northern Irish institutions are dealing with the critical issues of regulating conduct and retaining public trust."

In order to take comparative evidence on the Northern Ireland system and to hear from witnesses based in Northern Ireland, one of these hearings will be held in Belfast on Tuesday 29 June in the Madrona Suite of the Ramada Hotel.

The report is expected to be published at the end of the year while a schedule of witnesses will be published shortly.

(MB)