Commons watchdog criticises Hague
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Your support makes all the difference.Tory leader William Hague was criticised by the Parliamentary watchdog over his use of a gym in Lord Archer's apartment block.
Tory leader William Hague was criticised by the Parliamentary watchdog over his use of a gym in Lord Archer's apartment block.
Elizabeth Filkin,Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, upheld a complaint by Labour MP Fraser Kemp that Mr Hague had not lodged his use of the gym as a material benefit in the Commons Register of Members' Interests.
She said that Mr Hague should have registered the benefit as soon as he started to use the gym on a regular basis in January last year. Her view was supported by the Commons' Committee on Standards and Privileges.
Mr Hague did register his use of the gym on November 29 this year, but only after he received advice to do so from Ms Filkin. The Tory leader used the gym for martial arts training with Sebastian Coe, his aide.
The Committee recommended that no further action should be taken other than the reprimand.
In his complaint Mr Kemp, MP for Houghton and Washington East, said that Mr Hague's use of the gym was worth moren than £235, or 0.5% of an MP's salary of £47,000, which is the threshold for registration.
The gym is paid for by residents of the luxury apartment block, on the south bank of the Thames, and is for their private use and that of their guests.
Mr Hague explained to Ms Filkin that he had been using it regularly, at Lord Archer's invitation, since January 1998, and had paid for his own tuition and equipment.
Ms Filkin said: "In my view, the benefit enjoyed by Mr Hague without charge was a substantial one, and it seems reasonable to estimate its value by comparison with the subscription which would be paid by a member of the public for regular use of a gymnasium in London. On that basis I agree with Mr Kemp that it would have cost more than £235."
Ms Filkin added that the privilege afforded to Mr Hague by Lord Archer fell under the main purpose of the Register, which she defined as providing information about financial or other benefits which an MP receives which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his actions, speeches or votes, regardless of whether the MP was in fact influenced.
In a letter to Ms Filkin dated December 8 this year, Mr Hague said: "Having taken the advice of the registrar, I recognise that the use of the gymnasium could be interpreted as a benefit in kind. I have therefore taken action to register it."
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