Annex 39
Letter to Mr John Maxton MP from the Parliamentary
Commissioner for Standards
Thank you for your letter of 23 February 2000. I
am glad to hear I shall receive your response early this week.
As you will be aware, it is my responsibility to
be satisfied that sufficient evidence has been tendered in support
of a complaint to justify taking the matter further. Where this
is so I am required to ask the Member to respond. This is the
stage I have reached in this matter.
As I have said previously, when I decide to make
such a request to a Member it should not be taken to imply that
I have taken a view on the validity of any evidence, only that
there is sufficient for me to ask the Member for a response.
I share your concern that four weeks have now passed
and hope to receive your letter shortly so that I may deal with
this matter. Once I have your response and I have considered it
I shall be able to proceed. At any point during an enquiry I may
decide to dismiss it, but in this case it could not now be prior
to my receiving your response.
I have had the number of contacts with the complainant
to establish his account of events and, once again, I assure you
that if I receive evidence which supports the complaint you will
have every opportunity to consider or challenge it in due course.
I look forward to hearing from you.
28 February 2000
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