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The Northern Ireland Assembly’s new standards commissioner has stepped down a week after being appointed.<\/p>\n
Mark McEwan, a former assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), is instead joining Surrey Constabulary as deputy chief constable.<\/p>\n
It comes just a week after he was formally appointed to succeed Melissa McCullough as the assembly’s commissioner for standards.<\/p>\n
Stormont assembly speaker Edwin Poots said a new commissioner would be appointed “as soon as possible”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The commissioner investigates complaints about the behaviour of ministers in Northern Ireland’s devolved government and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs).<\/p>\n
In a letter to MLAs on Tuesday, Poots said Mr McEwan had “today informed the clerk\/chief executive that he has been appointed as deputy chief constable of the Surrey Constabulary”.<\/p>\n
He said Mr McEwan had “therefore stepped down as commissioner of standards with immediate effect as he prepares for his new role”.<\/p>\n
The speaker said the Assembly Commission, a body which oversees the operation of Parliament Buildings, would now look at nominating a new commissioner.<\/p>\n
“The recent recruitment competition conducted by the Assembly Commission for the appointment of the commissioner of standards produced a list of appointable candidates,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The Assembly Commission will now go through the necessary processes of pre-appointment checks in the coming weeks to come back to the assembly to nominate a new commissioner for standards as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
“While the Assembly Commission would have preferred not to have to come back to the assembly on this matter so soon, this is a significant appointment for Mr McEwan and I therefore wish him every success in his new role.”<\/p>\n
Dr McCullough stepped down as standards commissioner after five years in the role.<\/p>\n
She told BBC News NI earlier this month she was left “frustrated” by some elements of the accountability process<\/a> at the assembly. <\/p>\n Complaints to the standards watchdog have more than doubled in the year since Stormont was restored<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n