Annex 122
Letter to Suzanne Hilliard from the Chairman
of the Committee on Standards and Privileges
At the last meeting of the Committee on Standards
and Privileges the Commissioner reported to us that you had not
provided her with certain information she had requested to assist
her with one of her current inquiries. The Commissioner has told
us that she is unable to conclude her inquiry without considering
this information from you.
The Commissioner needs to see certain parts of your
telephone accounts for the period in question (only those parts
which are strictly relevant to her inquiry) in order to confirm
the evidence you have already given. The Commissioner has reported
to us that on 7 April you had undertaken to provide her with copies
of the relevant parts of the accounts, but that you had subsequently
said that you were unable to do so. If the relevant extracts are
still not available, the Commissioner can obtain them herself
on your behalf, but in order to do so she needs certain information
from you to pass to the telephone company so that the account
can be identified. The information she needs for this purpose
is your telephone number; the name of the telephone account holder;
the name of the telephone company; and your authorisation for
the Commissioner to acquire copies of the relevant parts of the
account from the telephone company. I should emphasise that this
information will be used only for the purpose of obtaining extracts
which are strictly relevant to the Commissioner`s inquiry.
We were concerned to hear that this matter was still
outstanding. We expect people who are in a position to assist
the Commissioner`s inquiries to co-operate fully and to make available
any relevant information they may have. It is in everyone`s interests,
including the Member who is the subject of the complaint, that
this matter should be resolved.
The House has given the Committee certain powers
to compel witnesses to provide information. We would prefer not
to use those powers unless it was necessary to do so to enable
the Commissioner to carry out the job the House has appointed
her to do. I very much hope, therefore, that you will arrange
to provide the Commissioner with the information by return.
26 June 2000
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