Committee on Standards Third Report of Session 2016-17

• Report: Nigel Adams
• Report: Nigel Adams (PDF 1.04 MB)
• Written evidence: Nigel Adams

The report

The Committee is grateful to the Commissioner for her inquiry which arose from a complaint that Mr Adams had not registered and declared his interest in a telecommunications company when participating in an inquiry by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee into world class connectivity in 2015/16.

The Committee agreed with the Commissioner that Mr Adams was in breach of the Code of Conduct in not continuing to register his interest in two linked telecom companies when his shareholding fell below the threshold for one category in the register of members’ interest.  The Committee also agreed that Mr Adams was in breach of the Code on three further instances when he failed to declare his interest and that of his wife in the same companies when participating in the consideration by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of an inquiry into cybersecurity and when asking questions of witnesses at two evidence sessions on cybersecurity and on interconnectivity.

Mr Adams did make the necessary declarations on all other occasions when taking evidence on interconnectivity and agreed to register his interest when advised to do so during the course of the Commissioner’s investigation.

The Commissioner found that the breaches were at the less serious end of the spectrum.  The Committee agreed that the beaches were minor and recommended that Mr Adams apologise to the House on a point of order which is the same sanction as would apply under the rectification procedure used for minor breaches. 

The lay members of the Committee played a full and active part in the drawing up the Committee’s report, with which they are in agreement.

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