§ Lord Maginnis of Drumglassasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the terms of reference for the current Electoral Office inquiry in Northern Ireland; who is conducting that inquiry; by whom the appointment was made; who determined the terms of reference; and what has been the cost to date and to which department. [HL2991]
§ Baroness AmosThe Chief Electoral Officer is normally responsible for matters of conduct and discipline in the Electoral Office. I understand that following allegations made by the noble Lord concerning the conduct of past and present staff in the Electoral Office, he asked Brian Blackwell, a former senior civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office with experience in disciplinary matters, to conduct an independent investigation to determine whether any Electoral Office staff had been engaged in misconduct. The chief electoral officer has yet to receive the report. The cost of the report to date is £5,757, which is being met from Electoral Office funds. At the same time the chief electoral officer decided to show the material to the PSNI. The PSNI decided that it would take no further action.