Annex 34A
File note by the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards
MR KEITH
VAZ
3 JULY 2000
TELEPHONE CALL
FROM MR
GEOFFREY BINDMAN.
...Mr Bindman telephoned me to tell me that
he had not managed to have any contact with his client since he
spoke to me on Thursday of last week—as his client was very
busy. He had faxed him a message about the shorthand taker but
could not be sure that Mr Vaz would agree that a shorthand taker
be present. However, he said he might be able to negotiate an
arrangement whereby it could not be used as a step for a document
which my inquiry could use to provide evidence. I indicated that
I was unclear about what was meant and he said that we would talk
about it when we met at 11 o'clock. I said that if Mr Vaz was
intending to provide written answers, that those might be the
best way of answering these questions and that the purpose of
the meeting was for me to get a complete and detailed answer from
Mr Vaz on these matters and that I would of course provide him
with a transcript so that he could check it and if necessary correct
matters of fact which he had elicited after the meeting. Mr Bindman
said he was aware of this and I had made this clear previously.
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