The number of complaints made against Senedd Members in the past year has more than doubled.

A 167 per cent increase was recorded in the 2023-24 period when a total of 190 complaints were received, compared with 71 in 2022-23, according to the annual report from the Senedd Commissioner for Standards.

This makes it the second-highest number across the past five years.

An intriguing break-up of the complaints - which were made between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024 - was also outlined.

53 related to social media conduct, 17 were for poor service standards, 29 were about improper behaviour in plenary or ministerial conduct, and 24 were regarding failure to register or declare interests. Almost all of the interest-related cases were about registration coming a few days outside the allowed four-week period.

The remaining 67 complaints covered a broad range of matters, including Welsh Government policy and matters not under the remit of the commissioner.

It was interesting to note that two Senedd members were subject to 58 complaints and one member of the public submitted 26 complaints.

Another concerning point was the number of inadmissible complaints.

There were 159 such instances, the highest over the last four years.

These were generally due to a lack of supporting evidence or issues that wouldn't be a breach of the rules even if proved right.

Despite these daunting increases, it was stated that the conduct of Senedd Members remained commendable.

The commissioner's report also shed light on other matters.

One prominent one was the investigation into Rhys ap Owen, who breached the Senedd’s Code of Conduct.

Consequently, he was suspended from the Senedd for 42 days.

The new 20mph default speed limit was also a topic of public concern.

Around 30 complaints were recorded about this change, predominantly on social media, with views expressed both for and against the amendment.

Only four out of these 30 complaints were considered admissible.

Senedd commissioner for standards, Douglas Bain expressed his views on the dramatic increase in complaints.

He said: "Whilst the significant increase in the number of complaints may be a cause for concern, it also demonstrates there is greater public interest in scrutinising the work and conduct of Members of the Senedd.

"Public scrutiny plays an important part in our democratic process and despite this increase I do not believe the number of complaints received indicates any reduction in the general high standard of conduct of Members of the Senedd.

"Despite awareness sessions, comments made by Members on social media remain by far the most common subject for complaints and I would urge them to take greater care when on social media."

Finally, the report noted a 12 per cent increase in expenditure in the commissioner’s office due to the growing number of complex complaints.

Still, these costs remained down by more than 16 per cent compared to 2020-21.