Annex A
Letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards from Kathy Lewis
I am writing to make an official complaint about
the entry in the Register of Members' Interests for the leader
of the opposition, the Rt Hon William Hague.
Since January 1999, Mr Hague's entry in the House
of Commons Register of Members' Interests has stated that "any
fees received as a result of speaking engagements will be paid
into The William Hague Charitable Trust. Donations form this Trust
will be distributed by an independent board of trustees to charitable
organisations within my constituency." This entry appears
currently on the House of Commons website.
My complaint is that The William Hague Charitable
Trust does not exist and never has existed, and that Mr Hague's
entry is therefore both inaccurate and misleading. I believe that
both Mr Hague's private office and the Charities Commission will
readily confirm this point. If you would like any further information
on this matter I would suggest that you approach Jack Cheshire
or Mark Thomas at Vera Productions Ltd on — — —.
I understand that they have further evidence regarding this matter
and I am sure they would be delighted to assist your investigations
in any way they can.
Mr Hague's entry implies that any fee-paying public
speaking financially benefits charitable causes. If fees have
not been paid into the William Hague Charitable Trust then where
have they gone? I would hope that you would immediately launch
an investigation into this serious matter, on my behalf. I look
forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
8 February 2001
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