Examination of Witnesses (Questions 220-239)
MR TOM
SMITH
19 MAY 2009
Q220 Mr Llwyd: Because Ms Aitken
says that is not true, she never requested any of the Committee's
papers or anything from the office.
Mr Smith: I do not think she requested
things specifically but she said, "Keep us in touch with
what is going on in the Committee and I can help you out with
answering questions" and that seemed the easiest way for
me. I would like to add, talking to other researchers and stuff,
this is standard practice across all select committees across
all parties, so I did not feel—
Q221 Chairman: Mr Smith, that is
a very serious accusation to make, that researchers routinely
break the rules about confidentiality in the way that we are examining
this morning.
Mr Smith: In that case I would
like to apologise. I received no instructions from House of Commons
officials on those rules. When I started receiving those emails
I was not aware that sharing things like that with staff of other
MPs was prohibited.
Q222 Mr Dismore: Just to follow up
on that point, you have made quite a sweeping allegation about
other MPs. I am on this Committee, I chair another committee and
am also on the Liaison Committee and I can assure you my staff
do not even get to see my Committee papers. I think that is rather
a general allegation.
Mr Smith: I would like to withdraw
that.
Q223 Mr Dismore: Could you tell us who
else you discussed this with who told you that this is routine
practice amongst MPs' researchers?
Mr Smith: I would not like to
disclose any of their names, I am afraid.
Q224 Mr Dismore: I think if you have
made an allegation like that this Committee might like to know
who else might have been doing this practice.
Mr Smith: People have told me
off the record.
Q225 Mr Dismore: I am afraid this
is a formal hearing, Mr Smith.
Mr Smith: Richard Younger-Ross
MP has brought that up in conversation. He said that this is a
frequent practice.
Q226 Mr Dismore: Anyone else?
Mr Smith: Not to me, no.
Q227 Mr Dismore: You mentioned you
had a note of a meeting where this was discussed.
Mr Smith: Yes.
Q228 Mr Dismore: Who took the note?
Mr Smith: I did. It was an informal
note in my notebook.
Q229 Mr Dismore: Who was at the meeting?
Mr Smith: I do not recall entirely.
It would be Don Foster, Alice Aitken, maybe a couple of other
parliamentarians such as Tom Brake. I do not recall entirely who
was there.
Q230 Mr Dismore: Is that recorded
in your note?
Mr Smith: No, I do not minute
those meetings officially.
Q231 Mr Dismore: I think it would
be very helpful for the Committee to see that note, so if you
could produce it.
Mr Smith: I will try and find
that for you.
Q232 Mr Dismore: That would be helpful.
You said that your predecessor had told you about your role. Who
was your predecessor?
Mr Smith: Ms Alice Orr-Ewing.
Q233 Mr Dismore: Did she tell you
that it was standard practice to copy Committee papers on?
Mr Smith: No, but she told me
I needed to receive those papers from the Committee by email as
far as I recall.
Q234 Mr Dismore: Did she tell you
what you should do with them?
Mr Smith: No.
Q235 Mr Dismore: Or what you should
not do with them?
Mr Smith: No.
Q236 Mr Dismore: Just going back
to my original question. You mentioned Mr Richard Younger-Ross,
have you discussed this yourself with any other researchers?
Mr Smith: This inquiry?
Q237 Mr Dismore: Not this inquiry
but the practice of forwarding Committee papers?
Mr Smith: No.
Q238 Mr Dismore: So when you made
that allegation it was simply on the basis of a conversation you
had with Mr Richard Younger-Ross?
Mr Smith: Yes, that is why I would
like to withdraw that and say I misspoke. I do apologise but I
hope you appreciate that these are quite intimidating procedures
for someone like me.
Q239 Mr Barron: I have just one question
for you, Mr Smith. You talked about the team meeting with Don
Foster and parliamentarians being there. Has Mr Sanders ever been
at any of these meetings?
Mr Smith: No, he does not attend
those meetings.
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