Mr David Chaytor
25 January 2011
The Committee has agreed to a proposal from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards that he should close his inquiry into allegations referred to him by Mr Chaytor in May 2009
The Commissioner’s inquiry was suspended immediately it began, on 19 May 2009, to await the outcome of possible criminal proceedings. Mr Chaytor was convicted of a criminal offence on 3 December 2010 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on 7 January 2011.
The Committee will decide at a later date whether it should recommend to the House any action consequent on Mr Chaytor’s conviction and sentence. Meanwhile, the Chair of the Committee, Kevin Barron MP, has written to Sir Alan Haselhurst MP, the Chair of the Administration Committee, inviting it to consider whether the rules relating to passes for former Members should be amended, to disqualify automatically any former Member who has been convicted of a criminal offence and has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment.