Thank you for your letter.

I am grateful to the Committee for giving me the opportunity to answer the points raised.

My involvement in Stenbell was known to the Committee when it carried out its work in preparation for its report last July.

I am grateful to you for stating in your letter that Stenbell was registered by me immediately it was drawn to my attention and that I followed the advice given by Sir Gordon Downey.

In my statement of 29 November 1997, it was made clear by me that Stenbell was a company I owned. Indeed in that statement—published in the 10th Report of the Committee—I referred to Stenbell Ltd directly as "a company owned by me".

In my letter to Sir Gordon Downey of 17 December 1997, I made it clear that Stenbell had been formed as a service company to the New Statesman.

The Parliamentary Commissioner on Standards stated in a paragraph 15 on his memorandum on 13 January 1998 that:

"In the Register of Members' Interests dated 31 March 1996 and 31 January 1997 Mr Robinson had duly disclosed his shareholdings in TransTec, Coventry City and the New Statesman Ltd. In the first Register of the new Parliament, as at 31 October 1997, he had entered holdings in TransTec, the New Statesman Ltd and Stenbell Ltd and had indicated that each such holding was 'held in trust' . . .".

In the table attached to my letter to the Committee of 3 March this year and cited on page xii of the 18th Report of the Committee, the fact of my directorship of Stenbell was again made clear. It was also made clear that it was unremunerated.

So I hope the committee will agree that it was fully informed on all these matters related to Stenbell when it prepared its last Report and that there was never any attempt made to conceal these matters either from the public records or from the enquiries of the Committee.

Having set out these points, I feel that, on reflection, I would like to meet the Committee and would respectfully ask you to put this request to them.

16 November 1998