Annex F
Letter to the Rt Hon William Hague MP
from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
I have received today a letter of complaint from
Ms Kathy Lewis and attach a copy for your information.
As far as I am aware, you made the register entry
about the Charitable Trust on 21 January 1999 and your office
has recently corresponded with the Registrar to amend the entry
in order to reflect the current situation. As I understand it,
you have reverted to your original practice of requesting any
fees for speeches to be paid direct to charities or good causes
of your choice.
So that I may decide whether this matter requires
investigation, I would be grateful if you would confirm my understanding
of the above and provide me with some further information.
In particular, please would you let me have the following
details:
1. A list of speeches you have made, where you
have received fees, from January 1999 to date.
2. Against each speech, please would you list
who provided the fee, to whom the fee was paid and the amount
paid.
3. Where the fee was paid directly to a charity
or good cause without passing through your office, please give
the name and details of those receiving the fee.
4. For the sake of completeness, please would
you confirm whether the Trust was ever established and, if so,
on what date?
5. If your answer to 4 is yes, the date at which
you ceased depositing your fees in the Trust.
6. The date it became clear that the Trust would
not handle fees from your speeches.
Please let me have any other information which you
feel would give me an accurate picture of the events, including
any correspondence which is relevant, particularly any which refers
to the decision not to use the Trust for your fees.
If you would prefer to discuss these matters in the
first instance, perhaps your office would contact mine to make
the arrangements.
9 February 2001
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