Commentary on Sections Conduct of local authority members: miscellaneous amendments Section 191: Ethical standards officers: investigations and findings
460.This section makes amendments to sections 59 and 62 of the 2000 Act, amending the description of two of the findings which an ethical standards officer can make and providing that his access to documents will not be limited, as now, to documents relating to a relevant authority. It also extends section 63 to provide that information obtained by an ethical standards officer in the course of an investigation may be disclosed where the disclosure is made to allow the monitoring officer to carry out his duties or it is made to the Commissioner for Local Administration or to the Electoral Commission for the purpose of their functions. An order making power is also provided for the Secretary of State to allow for such disclosures to be made to other people.