TACKLING BULLYING AND HARASSMENT IN PARLIAMENT

That this House acknowledges the progress made towards addressing sexual harassment in Parliament as a workplace with the establishment of a bicameral working group on an lndependent Complaints and Grievance Policy and the subsequent creation of two new independent helpline services; recognises the important work done by Laura Cox QC, Gemma White QC, Naomi Ellenbogen QC, and Rt. Hon Andrea Leadsom in launching independent inquiries into bullying and harassment in Parliament; considers that further action is needed to ensure Parliament is a best practice workplace and to address continuing gaps in the protections afforded to individuals; urges the Government to reform legislation so that MPs and volunteers are covered under existing laws, strengthen and reinstate Section 40 of the Equality Act to provide third party protection for all workers, impose a new legal duty on employers, backed up with a statutory code of practice, to prevent and tackle sexual harassment, implement the recommendations made in Dame Laura Cox's report that would ensure Parliament's processes are completely independent, transparent and prioritise the wishes of the complainant; and urges Parliament to work proactively with political parties to ensure the establishment of independent and effective complaints policies to adequately address sexual harassment within political parties.