Wednesday 22 April 2020

Carl Sargent inquiry has been abandoned , but the WG should now have new rules.



The independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sacking of Carl Sargeant has been called off which may be understandable but it seems we will never get to the ful truth

The BBC reports that 
The Welsh Government will also pay the outstanding legal costs of the Sergeant family, following the inquest into the late AMs death.
Mr Sargeant was sacked from the cabinet by the then first minister Carwyn Jones in November 2017, over allegations of inappropriate behaviour with women.
The Alyn and Deeside AM took his own life days later.
The decision by the First Minister Mark Drakeford was welcomed by Mr Sargeant's family. "We must draw a line under everything and let our grieving process begin," they said.
Carwyn Jones had called the inquiry, and appointed barrister Paul Bowen to chair it, following the death of Mr Sargeant. The inquiry was to look into Mr Jones' actions before and after the dismissal.
It never got off the ground. The work stalled after the family of Mr Sargeant, unhappy at the format, began legal action. A High Court judge found it was unlawful that Mr Jones took decisions on the probe.
The coroner at Mr Sargeant's inquest later said that sacked ministers should be given more support.
According to the Wasting Mule

The late Alyn and Deeside AM's family have agreed to the probe being dropped after a mediation process that also recommended the Welsh Government should meet their £220,000 legal costs....
..... First Minister Mark Drakeford had asked Sir Brendan Barber to mediate between the family of Carl Sargeant and Carwyn Jones to plan a way forward.
Following discussions Sir Brendon advised that the inquiry be "terminated".In a letter to the First Minister he said that the Sargeant family "have been through a traumatic two years and questions inevitably remain to which answers may never be found", but they feel "that now is the time to seek some form of closure".His second recommendation is that the family's outstanding legal costs be paid by the Welsh Government. This would add up to £220,000.
Mr Jones' expenses were paid by the Welsh Government as they derived from actions during his time in office as First Minister.
In a written statement issued today (April 21), Mark Drakeford accepted the recommendations from Sir Brendan, the head of mediation body Acas.
He said: "In my written statement of 11 July last year, following the conclusion of the coroner’s inquest into the tragic death of Carl Sargeant, I told members that I thought it was right that there should be a period of reflection and that I would assess what further steps should be taken, in consultation with the Sargeant family and other interested parties.
"I subsequently invited the chair of Acas Sir Brendan Barber, acting in a personal capacity, to speak with the parties to see if an agreed way forward could be found. I am most grateful to Sir Brendan for agreeing to undertake this work. I am also grateful to the family of the late Carl Sargeant and to the former First Minister Carwyn Jones for their constructive engagement.
"As a result of his discussions Sir Brendan has made two recommendations to me. First that the independent investigation should not proceed, and second that the Welsh Government should meet the reasonable outstanding legal costs of the Sargeant family. I have decided to accept and to implement both. I am attaching with this statement copies of the exchange of letters between Sir Brendan and myself, which set out the results of his discussions and his recommendations, together with my response.
"I know that all parties involved now share a wish to bring an end to the public controversy in relation to the tragic death of Carl, allowing us all to remember him as the valued husband, father, colleague and friend that he was."
It is fully understandable that  circumstances , have led to this case being terminated . However considering Carwyn Jone's Mr Jones' expenses were paid by the Welsh Government i wonder if this was the main factor as costs would escalate and it's not the Welsh Goverment that would pay for it but the taxpayer in the end.

At least we should make sure that the method of Mr  Sargeant dismissal should lead to a change in the behavior of the Government and perhaps a set of rules drawn up to make sure this very sad business , does not happen again.


 

1 comment:

Gwyn Isaac said...

Politics is a rough business, Glyn, especially where Cabinet posts and the greasy pole are concerned and Unfair Dismissal laws do not apply.This is a tragic case where this outcome represe some sort of closure but the loss remains.