SIR CHRISTOPHER KELLY KCB

10 JANUARY 2008

  Q120  Mr Prentice: I would suggest that most people would believe that people who served in the United Kingdom Parliament should pay United Kingdom taxes.

  Sir Christopher Kelly: I think I would probably say that but I would still like to hear the arguments before giving a definitive view.

  Q121  Mr Prentice: There has been a huge amount of speculation over Lord Ashcroft. Should Lord Ashcroft state unequivocally that he has been a resident of the United Kingdom for tax purposes since his elevation to the peerage in 2000?

  Sir Christopher Kelly: You will have to give me time to think about that question.

  Q122  Chairman: Perhaps I could ask you, at the end—and this is the kind of thing to which you are going to have to be exposed, I should say; it is what you have signed up for—

  Sir Christopher Kelly: Indeed.

  Q123  Chairman: -- do you think there is a danger of over-regulation?

  Sir Christopher Kelly: Yes. Of course.

  Q124  Chairman: Could you just say a little more about that. The tendency is that every time you find an area that needs attention we put more regulation in, then people breach the regulation and then we put more regulations in and more people who monitor the regulations.

  Sir Christopher Kelly: There are plenty of examples of exactly that happening and I think it is absolutely essential that from time to time someone examines the sets of regulations that have been put in place for what seemed like very good reasons at the time, to see whether or not they have become disproportionate. Indeed, the Committee have already done some of that, in the sense that the Standards Board was set up following a report from the Committee. It was not set up precisely in the way the Committee had recommended, and when the Committee looked at it again it said that it was not operating in a way that seemed to make sense to the Committee and that much more local determination of complaints was what was required.

  Q125  Chairman: That has all been very interesting. We wish you well in your work.

  Sir Christopher Kelly: Thank you.

  Chairman: I can assure you that if you turn your attention to the remuneration of Members of Parliament there will be a great deal of interest from these quarters as to what you get up to. The work you do and the work that we do connects at various points and we would expect to have regular and constructive contact with you. Thank you for coming in and we wish you well.