§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the standard arrangements for the declaration of interests by full- and part-time members, respectively, of public boards which are his responsibility; and if he will indicate in what manner the declared interests are made available to the general public.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerWhen he is invited to serve on public boards the attention of a prospective member is drawn to any legislation which requires him to declare his business and financial interests. Where there is no relevant legislation, or where the onus is on me to satisfy myself that such interests will not prejudice the performance of his functions and are not incompatible with the appointment, I obtain particulars of all directorships, shareholdings and other interests at the outset and from time to time thereafter. 227W Attention is also drawn to the requirement that if a member has a personal interest in a matter under discussion by his board he is to disclose the nature of that interest at the meeting and have this recorded in the minutes. The disclosure may in many cases be effected by the member's giving a general notice at a meeting of the board that he has a financial interest in a specified company or firm and is consequently to be regarded as interested in any business affecting it. Information about a person's declared interests is not usually made available to the public.