69 [F1Investigations by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.]E+W

(1)[F2The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales] may investigate—

(a)cases in which a written allegation is made to him by any person that a member or co-opted member (or former member or co-opted member) of a relevant authority F3... has failed, or may have failed, to comply with the authority’s code of conduct, and

(b)other cases in which he considers that a member or co-opted member (or former member or co-opted member) of a relevant authority F3... has failed, or may have failed, to comply with the authority’s code of conduct and which have come to his attention as a result of an investigation under paragraph (a).

(2)If [F4the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales] considers that a written allegation under subsection (1)(a) should not be investigated, he must take reasonable steps to give written notification to the person who made the allegation of the decision and the reasons for the decision.

(3)The purpose of an investigation under this section is to determine which of the findings mentioned in subsection (4) is appropriate.

(4)Those findings are—

(a)that there is no evidence of any failure to comply with the code of conduct of the relevant authority concerned,

(b)that no action needs to be taken in respect of the matters which are the subject of the investigation,

(c)that the matters which are the subject of the investigation should be referred to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned, or

(d)that the matters which are the subject of the investigation should be referred to the president of the Adjudication Panel for Wales for adjudication by a tribunal falling within section 76(1).

(5)Where a person is no longer a member or co-opted member of the relevant authority concerned but is a member or co-opted member of another relevant authority F5..., the reference in subsection (4)(c) to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned is to be treated as a reference either to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned or to the monitoring officer of that other relevant authority (and accordingly [F6if the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales reaches a finding under subsection (4)(c) he] must decide to which of those monitoring officers to refer the matters concerned).