APPENDIX 26
Letter to the Clerk of the Committee on
Standards and Privileges from Thompsons, Solicitors
COUNCILLOR PIARA
SINGH CLAIR:
EVIDENCE TO
THE COMMITTEE
ON STANDARDS
AND PRIVILEGES—13
FEBRUARY 2001
We thank you for your letter of this afternoon.
We have already informed you of our instructions
to the effect that Councillor Piara Singh Clair is not able to
take time off work tomorrow for the purpose of attending at the
Committee hearing.
Councillor Piara Singh Clair does not, in any event,
regard himself as having sufficient authority to release Constituency
Labour Party accounts to an outside body or authority. Indeed,
the basis upon which the Committee feels it has the requisite
authority to call for such accounts has not yet been explained
to him.
Mrs Filkin, the Commissioner, has repeatedly said
to officers of the Labour Party that the party itself is not under
investigation. We understand this still to be the case.
In the circumstances, we are instructed to request
from you the following:
(i) a copy of the Committee's procedures for
disclosure of documents belonging to a third party, such as the
Constituency Labour Party; and
(ii) the basis of the Committee's authority to
require disclosure of the accounts called for together with details
of any alleged wrongdoing by, or on behalf of, the Constituency
Labour Party.
We look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
12 February 2001
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