Overall
conclusion
18. We accept that Mr Baldry has a genuine and long-standing
public interest in the development of Sierra Leone. He also has,
and continues to have, significant commercial interests in that
country. It is important in such circumstances for Members not
only to ensure that they properly distinguish these two interests,
but also that they distinguish their public role and their private
business interests properly, and are seen to do so. We agree
with the Commissioner that, in this case, Mr Baldry has not exercised
sufficient care in separating these two categories of interest.
19. In essence, in relation to both the registration
and declaration of interests, Mr Baldry's omissions meant that
the House and the Secretary of State respectively, while aware
of the existence of the interests, were not aware of their full
scope and potential extent.
20. In relation to the breach of the advocacy rule,
Mr Baldry should have realised that he was making an approach
to the Secretary of State that related exclusively to a company
in which he had an existing indirect financial interest and that
any clean bill of health might have been perceived by others as
providing him with reassurance over the probity of the company
should its chairmanship come his way. Such considerations ought
to have alerted him to the possibility that such an approach might
be in breach of the advocacy rule.
21. We also note that Mr Baldry has accepted that
he should not have used House stationery for his correspondence
and has apologised unreservedly for this.
22. We agree with the Commissioner that this case
illustrates the importance, not least in terms of public perception,
of Members scrupulously separating, and being seen to separate,
their public role from any private business interests.
23. Mr Baldry has fully accepted the conclusions
of the Commissioner, all of which we have endorsed. He has breached
the requirements of the Code of Conduct in a number of respects,
most seriously in relation to the advocacy rule. We consider that
he should apologise to the House for these by way of a personal
statement.
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