AN OPEN LETTER TO SIR CHRISTOPHER KELLY

Dear Sir Christopher

I appreciate you will be extremely busy right now what with your inquiry in to MPs' expenses.

I wrote to you on the 19th June expressing my concerns about my MP Oliver Heald, who I understand sits on your Committee on Standards in Public Life.

I made an error in a calculation I quoted in that letter regarding how many months Mr Heald has claimed the maximum against "petty cash" specifically over the four years where censored details are available. I quoted 44 out of 48 previously - the figure appears to be 41 out of 48. I should mention that Mr Heald disputes this total. I have apologised directly to Mr Heald for my error and felt it proper for you to be aware of it.

Mr Heald has chosen, despite quite rightly scrutinising my assertions, not to answer a very important question regarding apparent "double claims" against "petty cash" made in Nov' 06 and Sep '07.

Mr Heald also seems to have used the funds claimed specifically against "petty cash" in what could be an innapropriate way - not for office incidental expenses where cash is required - but to help support "work experience" staff and unpaid "interns".

His accounting for "petty cash" would appear to have been unfit for purpose.

I would request that you consider Mr Heald's fitness or otherwise to uphold the seven principles in public life and thereby his suitability to sit on your committee as he still proves evasive on matters of reasonable concern to me as a constituent and tax payer.

If you wish to you can better appreciate the issue with regard to Mr Heald and his petty cash claims by visiting my online blog here as it shows our exchanges: http://www.dishonourable.org.uk/category/expenses/oliver-heald-mp

P.S. My evidence to your committee, submitted in May, has not been published at your website despite me giving clear permission for it to be and drawing this to your attention in my previous communication. I know of other individuals who have not seen their evidence published either. Can you have this looked into please.

P.P.S. This letter will be published at my website along with any reply you might be kind enough to provide.

Yours sincerely

Ian Fairbairn