Annex ii39
Letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards from Ms Maria Fernandes
I refer to my meeting with you last week at your
office which was arranged following your letter to me. As you
know you asked me questions on a wide range of issues well beyond
the subject of the meeting. Despite this I answered your questions
for one and a half hours.
You will recall that at the end of the meeting I
discovered that I was tape recorded by yourself without my knowledge
or consent. You told me that you only asked Members if they agreed
to be taped. However in the Ninth Report of the Select Committee
at paragraph 12 it states:
"If I interview a witness I make a note of the
meeting or ask the person if I may record what they are
saying on tape. If a person chooses not to be taped I
always send them the note ..." (my italics)
I would just like it noted for the record that I
was neither aware nor asked whether I consented to being tape
recorded. Therefore the procedure that the Committee has laid
down was not followed.
6 July 2001
| 
