Examination of Witnesses (Questions 156
- 159)
TUESDAY 10 JANUARY 2006
RT HON
STEPHEN BYERS
MP
Q156 Chairman: Good morning Mr Byers.
As you know, the Committee is deliberating on a matter that has
been referred to it by the House and we are coming towards the
end of our deliberations and there are some questions which the
Committee and I would like to put to you. There is general agreement
that the answer that you gave to the Select Committee was inaccurate.
What was the right answer?
Mr Byers: At the time I felt I
had given the right answer. With hindsight I should have seen
that there was a different interpretation as to what was meant
by `discussion'. Had I recognised that someone might see a discussion
as being a simple commissioning of work—which I did not
do when I gave evidence to the Select Committee and I think even
now it is still debatable, but I understand from when it was put
to me in the court that in fact the commissioning of work could
be a discussion—then a comment along the lines of "there
had been no substantive discussion but work had been commissioned"
would probably have been more accurate, but I am not quite sure
that would have answered the question put to me by Mr Grayling.[1]
Q157 Chairman: If you had said that
would there have been any difficulties?
Mr Byers: No, not at all.
Q158 Chairman: When did you realise
that the answer you had given was not accurate?
Mr Byers: At about 2.40 on the
afternoon of 14 July in the High Court. That was the first time
it dawned on me that there could be a different interpretation
of the word `discussions'.
Q159 Chairman: We may want to come
on to the definition of a discussion later in our deliberations.
Can I just ask you some other questions? Did you regard yourself
as adequately briefed during your period as Secretary of State
by your Department?
Mr Byers: Yes. I am sure there
are times when the briefing could have been better, but I certainly
had no complaints at the time and I would not have any complaints
now.
1 Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee,
First Report of Session 2001-02, HC 239-II, Ev 102, Q857. Back
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