LONDON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- One in five staff working at Britain's Houses of Parliament have faced sexual harassment or bullying in the past year, a report commissioned by the government revealed Thursday.
New measures planned in response to complaints against politicians could see MPs being fired as the ultimate punishment as part of a proposed independent grievance procedure to handle complaints by staff at Westminster.
The report, produced for the Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, says all MPs and members of the unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords, as well as their staff, should receive mandatory training about conduct and behaviour towards their staff.
A staff survey across the parliamentary estate found that one-in-five staff had reported sexual harassment, while 39 percent said they had experienced non-sexual harassment or bullying in the past 12 months.
Leadsom described the publication of the report as a big day for parliament and British politics.
"The new independent procedure will demonstrate that we want to be the best Parliament in the world when it comes to treating everyone who works here with dignity and respect. This is a major step in bringing about the culture change that parliament needs," she said.
The report says it is unacceptable that inappropriate behavior has taken place across the parliamentary community. A new code of behavior, independent of political parties, has been recommended, saying it would apply to everyone on the parliamentary estate including visitors.
The names of people complained about, including politicians, would remain secret during investigations, but in the most serious sanctions the identity of the perpetrator would be made public.
MPs found guilty of serious sexual harassment or bullying could be suspended, but may also face an election in their parliamentary constituencies to allow their electorate to decide if they should remain in the House of Commons.
In less serious cases, MPs found to have bullied or harassed staff will have to write a letter of apology and undergo training, under new proposals. Currently MPs don't have any formal disciplinary procedures.
The report comes after Prime Minister Theresa May set up a cross-party working group of MPs and staff to investigate the extent of abuse in Parliament.
Labor MP Valerie Vaz said she hoped the report would create a "safe and secure and constructive workplace" for everyone working at Westminster.
Allegations of inappropriate behaviour have already seen a number of ministers losing their frontline jobs.
