Annex 107
File note by the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards
DISCUSSION WITH
CLAIRE WARD
Ms Ward came to see me to give me further information
about the inquiry of which she had been a part into the Leicester
Labour Party. She told me she had discussed the matter on two
occasions with Robert Sheldon and was now clear what she should
provide to me. She understood that she was not required to provide
to me matters which concerned the Labour Party only but that she
should provide to me anything which related to the complaints
I was investigating about Mr Vaz. I confirmed to her that this
was what I required and that I was not wishing to have information
about the operation of the Labour Party.
Ms Ward told me that she had been through the
records that she had, provided me with a copy of her hand written
notes and the evidence which had been submitted to her. However,
when she checked it she felt a lot of it was hearsay rather than
direct evidence and she had been given the impression that numbers
of their witnesses felt that the people concerned would not be
comfortable in coming forward to give evidence themselves.
We photocopied all the papers she brought with
her and returned hers to her.
She had also brought with her a note of an itinerary
of a visit to India that Mr Vaz had made on 24 February 1992.
I said that if I needed the itinerary because of allegations of
non-registration of benefits I would contact her but at the moment
I did not see that I required it.
I thanked her for her help.
8 May 2000
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