Online Questions & Answers with Hayden Phillips on party funding

Will the Review be publishing all submitted evidence

Posted by Byron on October 30th 2006

Within the Interim Report there are a number of unattributed sources. With particular reference to my constituency, the trade union movement:

p.50 "The view that trade union affiliation is organisational membership is not agreed by everyone."

p.53 "...there is an alternative view that recognises that affiliated union involvement with the Labour Party goes beyond a financial relationship..."

The TULO submission is widely available (including on our website) and is quoted in the interim report. Will the review publish all submitted evidence to allow an open debate to take place?

This question is now closed.

I will of course consider

Posted by Sir Hayden Phillips on 30/10/2006 - 14:56

I will of course consider whether or not submissions made to me might be published at the time of the final report but many people have preferred to talk to me about what their views are in the form of a discussion. I do not wish in thinking about my final recommendations only to give weight to those who have bothered to create public submissions as this would in my view be unfair and possibly partial. However I agree that this is a debatable point and it is something I am happy to think about further.

But surely the debate

Posted by Byron on 30/10/2006 - 14:45

But surely the debate started through concerns about transparency in Party funding? Surely it is not bad practice for the Inquiry to work with anonymous submissions on such an important issue?

Response to Byron. I decided

Posted by Sir Hayden Phillips on 30/10/2006 - 14:14

Response to Byron.

I decided not to operate an Inquiry in the conventional sense which normally calls for evidence and then publishes it. I have left to those who have wished to express their views to publicise their views themselves. As far as I can see this way of proceeding has not prevented what has been and continues to be an open and continuing debate. Of course I am very grateful to TULO and others who have gone to the trouble of preparing and publishing their detailed views.