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Proceeding contribution from Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Conservative) in the House of Lords on Thursday, 30 April 2009. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee proceeding on Political Parties and Elections Bill.


Political Parties and Elections Bill

I am grateful for that—he has the final call. My issue relates to subsection (3) of the new section. It is not about seniority of posts but the political sensitivity of posts. A great range of posts within the commission will be politically sensitive at one point or another and it is hard to know when people will undertake work of a politically sensitive nature. I am thinking not of senior but of younger people, who can be rash—shall we say, rash or precipitate in their judgment of how they might take advantage of the information that they gain in performance of their duties within the commission? It might be someone who foolishly believed that he or she could advance his or her political career by gathering information of one sort or another. It may not even be a political career that he or she wants to advance; it might be a career in the media, for which the information would be very helpful indeed. Is there not some value in having a slightly longer minimum period of quarantine? I know not whether three years—36 months—is the right period, but a 12-month quarantine period is quite short. I have no wish to inhibit people developing their careers, within and without the commission, but there is an argument for having a slightly longer period of quarantine for people who want to work in the commission and at the same time have political affiliations.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
710 c127-8GC 
Session
2008-09
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
Subjects
Companies Civil proceedings Finance Elections Enforcement Fixed penalties Donors Electoral Commission Domicil Powers Public appointments Political parties Political impartiality Taxation Sanctions Government responses Local Government Boundary Commission for England Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Legislation
Political Parties and Elections Bill 2007-08 to 2008-09
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk