former health secretary Matt Hancock was allowed to spend the night at a country estate owned by head of Randox, the medical firm that hired MP Owen Paterson as consultant.
During a two-day visit to Northern Ireland as secretary in 2019 Hancock had private dinner and overnight at Dundarave country estate in County Antrim, which is owned by Peter Fitzgerald, founder of Randox.
The overnight stay was revealed in documents issued under Freedom of Information Law. It wasn’t included in in official register of hospitality extended by ministers.
Through a representative, Hancock said he did not need declare hospitality because he did not accept it in ministerial potential. However, transparency advocates disagreed and stated that “clear expectation” that ministers should declare such hospitality and follow spirit of in rules.
Questions were raised about the relationship between Randox and the conservative. party after the firm received nearly £500m of public funds during the Covid pandemic for testing.
Randox also hired Paterson as a consultant, paying him £100,000 a year. year. Paterson left parliament last year after he used his position as an MP to lobby for his clients including Randox.
Randox donated £160,000 to the Conservatives. party between 2010 and 2018. Paterson directly lobbied Hancock on on behalf of of Randox during the pandemic. After lobbying Paterson, Hancock harassed his officials, saying he was “very concerned” how his department handled Randox and other firms.
During a visit to Northern Ireland in 2019, Hancock met three firms, including Randox, who at the time were paying Paterson to be their consultant. Official documents received by Transparency International UK in accordance with Freedom of Information Act Suggests Paterson Was Partially Involved in organizing Hancock’s visit.
They are also show how Randox invited Hancock to dine and spend the night at Fitzgerald’s Dundarave estate during his visit.
The County Antrim estate is described as “magnificent… in great environment” with “A beautiful Italian mansion in its heart.”
On March 21, 2019, Hancock visited the Randox Laboratories. in Belfast. An email sent to the health department that appears to have been written by Randox. employee said: “Understanding SoS [secretary of state] will with us Randox Science Park… SoS then goes on other visits before joining us for a private dinner and overnight that evening.
On the same day, Hancock suffered out number of Other official visits, including at the Ulster Hospital. He also visited the forum to discuss health and nutrition. Two of the speakers were from Devenish, a pet food company, and Lynn’s Country Foods, a meat products company.
Both firms were paying Paterson at the time total of £61,000 per annum year be their consultant.
rules regulatory behavior of of ministers, known as the ministerial code, states that when politicians accept hospitality in ministerial powers, details should be made public through a regularly published register. The official guidelines define company dinners as a type of of hospitality that should be announced when received in ministerial capacity.
Hancock’s spokesman James Davis said there was no need announce private dinner and overnight at the estate of the founder of Randox, because it was political, not departmental.
“Everything was declared properly and properly,” Davis said, adding that the relevant items of the ministerial code was “departmental responsibility. If they judge event political, this does not apply. Maybe you should to talk to [the Department of Health and Social Care]not Mr Hancock.”
He continued, “Staying overnight is absolutely fine. It was a political dinner, and Mr. Hancock met many [Northern Ireland] politicians, including Robin Swann, another connection that has become critical in respond to the pandemic. It’s absurd to say there was something wrong with This.”
This interpretation of in rules disputed by Rose Whiffen, research the Transparency International UK employee who received the documents. She said: “When ministers accept hospitality, especially from political sponsors, clear waiting for it should be announced and deal of public record.
“When secretary of state indeterminate over should they report being drunk and dined under ministerial code, that’s always better for them to be wrong on in side of caution and follow prevailing spirit of in rules doing so.”
