Review of Alleged Abuse or Inappropriate Behaviour Associated with Jeffrey Donaldson in Parliament Buildings
Donaldson Review
Following the conviction of Jeffrey Donaldson, the Speaker asked the Clerk/Chief Executive to conduct a review to enable any Member or former Member, current or former Assembly or party staff member, or other user of Parliament Buildings to bring forward, in a safe and supported manner, any incidents of abuse or inappropriate behaviour they directly experienced while Jeffrey Donaldson was a Member of the Assembly from 2003 to 2010, or while he was a regular visitor to Parliament Buildings as an MP.
The Speaker’s remarks can be found here .
The Clerk/Chief Executive then put in place arrangements to conduct a Review of any abuse or inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson during the periods above.
The Review was conducted by the Director of Parliamentary Services (Senior Assembly Safeguarding Officer), guided by experts in trauma-informed practices, and reported directly to the Clerk/Chief Executive. It was launched on 10 July 2026 and included public and internal communications, a dedicated contact route, support arrangements, and searches of relevant Assembly Commission records.
The Review has now concluded. No reports were received through the dedicated Review contact route and no relevant information was identified through the internal information search. The report therefore concludes that no matter has arisen within the scope of the Review requiring further investigation, referral to the PSNI, or referral to another statutory agency.
The report is clear that this conclusion is necessarily limited. The absence of reports or relevant records does not determine that no incidents occurred; it means that, within the scope and methodology of the Review, none were reported to the Review and no relevant information was identified.
The Clerk/Chief Executive has agreed that the report should be published in full, and it is now available on the Assembly website here.
Following publication, the dedicated Review contact route has closed. Any subsequent approach received by the Assembly will be handled under Assembly Commission policies and procedures, with urgent referral to the PSNI or another statutory agency where appropriate. Anyone wishing to report a criminal matter should contact the PSNI directly.
Notes
- Jeffrey Donaldson was a Member of the Assembly (MLA) from 2003 to 2010 and an MP between 1997 and 2024.
- The Review report has been published in full and can be found here.
- Anyone wishing to report a criminal matter should contact the PSNI directly at 101 or https://www.psni.police.uk/report
Terms of Reference
The review should:
- Establish if the Assembly Commission holds any relevant information on abuse or inappropriate behaviour while Jeffrey Donaldson was a Member of the Assembly from 2003 to 2010, or while he was a visitor to Parliament Buildings as an MP.
- Communicate and provide an appropriate process to enable any Member or former Member, current or former Assembly or party staff, or other user of Parliament Buildings to bring forward any incidents of abuse or inappropriate behaviour they directly experienced while Jeffrey Donaldson was a Member of the Assembly from 2003 to 2010 or a visitor to Parliament Buildings as an MP.
- Inform Members or former Members, current or former Assembly or party staff, or other user of Parliament Buildings of the support service available for anyone who reports having been subject to abuse or inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson.
- Draw to the Clerk/Chief Executive’s attention any matters that may require further appropriate investigation or referral to the PSNI or other statutory agencies.
- Indicate whether any of the issues considered have implications for any Assembly Commission policies or procedures.
- Consider the extent to which the review findings or a summary thereof can be published.
