Downing Street Says

Asked if the Prime Minister was intending to investigate the activities of former Ministers Stephen Byers, Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, the PMS said that there had been statements over the weekend from the Labour Party and Mr Byers. There had also been statements from the two departments concerned (Business and Transport), making clear their response to these allegations. The Prime Minister was of the view that Mr Byers had done the right thing by referring himself to the Parliamentary Authorities.

Asked if the Prime Minister had seeked and received categorical assurances from Lord Mandelson and Lord Adonis that there had been no impropriety, the PMS said that both departments had given clear robust statements; there was no hint of impropriety.

Asked how the Prime Minister reacted to Stephen Byers referring to himself as a cab for hire , the PMS said that it wasn’t for him to comment on the alleged words used by a former Minister. The Prime Minister felt very strongly about the whole area of transparency and we were sure that there had been no impropriety in either department.

Asked if the Prime Minister had ruled out any need for an investigation, the PMS said that the Government departments concerned had made it clear that there was no suggestion of any impropriety. It was not for the Prime Minister to comment on what former Ministers did and he welcomed the fact that Mr Byers had referred himself to the Parliamentary Authorities. There was no need for an inquiry if the two departments believed there hadn’t been a breach of the Ministerial Code. It was a matter for existing and sitting MPs as to what they could and could not do; they had their own set of guidelines that needed to be followed, and Mr Byers had taken the decision, as other politicians had done elsewhere in the House, to refer himself to the appropriate authorities.

Asked if the Prime Minister was of the view that there was no need for a further Government investigation, the PMS said that that was correct; the Prime Minister had seen the statements from the departments and was satisfied that there was no impropriety.

Asked if the Prime Minister would bring any new proposals forward to regulate the issue of lobbying, the PMS said that there were a number of things the Government had done to improve transparency, for example, publishing quarterly details of Ministerial meetings and details of hospitality received by Ministers.

Put that it would be better to avoid all appearance of impropriety by carrying out an investigation, the PMS said that the departments had issued statements and Mr Byers had issued a statement, as well as the Labour Party. The position had been made clear.

Put that this was a similar situation to the issue of expenses in that Parliament was being brought into disrepute, the PMS said that the most important thing was that the relevant departments and other interested parties had given a speedy response.

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» Monday, March 22, 2010

Lobbying

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