§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2004,Official Report, column 1471W, on the Civil Service, whether he had been informed that IBM were subject to investigation by the Special Compliance Office of Inland Revenue in 1997; whether the then Cabinet Secretary's application declared that IBM UK were subject to Special 776W Compliance Office investigation in 1997; when enquiries were made on IBM's standing of (a) Inland Revenue and (b) Customs and Excise as part of the approval process for the Cabinet Secretary's application to join IBM's UK advisory board; when the Prime Minister was informed that IBM were subject to Inland Revenue investigation; and when the former Cabinet Secretary advised the Prime Minister that he had resigned from IBM's UK advisory board. [156522]
§ The Prime MinisterI refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 February 2004,Official Report, column 1471W and the answer provided by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 713W.
In accordance with established procedures, Ministers are not informed of investigations into specific companies by either the Inland Revenue or Customs and Excise.
The then Cabinet Secretary submitted an application under the Business Appointment rules in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 4.3 of the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. There is no requirement on former civil servants to advise me that they have relinquished an outside appointment.