Blunkett Moonlighting
Hansard 10 Mar 2005 : Column 1936W
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what enquiries she has made into payments made to the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) by a company involved in major commercial dealings with her Department; and if she will make a statement. [220520]
Alun Michael: The Register of Members' Interests records that the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) is an adviser to Indepen Consulting Ltd. From information held centrally, the Department has no record of commercial dealings with this company.
I think it may be time for someone within No2ID to do some research into Blunketts post ministerial interests. He is currently employed as an Adviser to Indepen Consulting Limited, whom I believe carry out work for potential ID card system providers. Check out one of Indepen's clients, Reliance Infocomm for instance, although they are a cellular company, a quick Google came up with this document SmartCards-Introduction. This is of course contrary to the Ministerial Code 9.140. Ministers' Private Interests
Acceptance of appointments after leaving ministerial office
On leaving office, Ministers should seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments they wish to take up within two years of leaving office, other than unpaid appointments in non-commercial organisations or appointments in the gift of the Government, such as Prime Ministerial appointments to international organisations. Although it is in the public interest that former Ministers should be able to move into business or other areas of public life, it is equally important that there should be no cause for any suspicion of impropriety about a particular appointment. If therefore the Advisory Committee considers that an appointment could lead to public concern that the statements and decisions of the Minister, when in Government, have been influenced by the hope or expectation of future employment with the firm or organisation concerned, or that an employer could make improper use of official information to which a former Minister has had access, it may recommend a delay of up to two years before the appointment is taken up, or that for a similar period the former Minister should stand aside from certain activities of the employer.
And he still lives in the government-owned, £3m Belgravia pad in South Eaton Terrace that came as a grace and favour residence when he was the Home Secretary.
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Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what enquiries she has made into payments made to the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) by a company involved in major commercial dealings with her Department; and if she will make a statement. [220520]
Alun Michael: The Register of Members' Interests records that the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) is an adviser to Indepen Consulting Ltd. From information held centrally, the Department has no record of commercial dealings with this company.
I think it may be time for someone within No2ID to do some research into Blunketts post ministerial interests. He is currently employed as an Adviser to Indepen Consulting Limited, whom I believe carry out work for potential ID card system providers. Check out one of Indepen's clients, Reliance Infocomm for instance, although they are a cellular company, a quick Google came up with this document SmartCards-Introduction. This is of course contrary to the Ministerial Code 9.140. Ministers' Private Interests
Acceptance of appointments after leaving ministerial office
On leaving office, Ministers should seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments they wish to take up within two years of leaving office, other than unpaid appointments in non-commercial organisations or appointments in the gift of the Government, such as Prime Ministerial appointments to international organisations. Although it is in the public interest that former Ministers should be able to move into business or other areas of public life, it is equally important that there should be no cause for any suspicion of impropriety about a particular appointment. If therefore the Advisory Committee considers that an appointment could lead to public concern that the statements and decisions of the Minister, when in Government, have been influenced by the hope or expectation of future employment with the firm or organisation concerned, or that an employer could make improper use of official information to which a former Minister has had access, it may recommend a delay of up to two years before the appointment is taken up, or that for a similar period the former Minister should stand aside from certain activities of the employer.
And he still lives in the government-owned, £3m Belgravia pad in South Eaton Terrace that came as a grace and favour residence when he was the Home Secretary.
.
posted by Anoneumouse at 4:55 pm
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