Should MPs declare Private Health insurance in registers of interest?

Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group made this Freedom of Information request to House of Commons This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group

Dear House of Commons,

I am aware that my MP (Craig Mackinlay, South Thanet) is covered by private health insurance that is provided to him by Beak Kemmenoe Accountancy firm, where he is one of three partners.

Shouldn't the financial value of Mackinlay's private medical insurance be listed in his MP's register's of Interest? Currently it is not.

Mackinlay's RoI shows that he receives payments of £1,500 for 20 hrs work for the firm, monthly. It also shows an 'estimated profit-share allocation with a value of £2,000 per month until further notice' in November 2021, but this is only mentioned once.

There is no mention of the private health insurance or any other perks or benefits.

NB: I cannot ascertain what type of company Beak Kemmenoe is, as it is not listed on Companies House.

Yours faithfully,
Carly Jeffrey
Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group

FOI Commons, House of Commons

Dear Ms Jeffrey,

 

Freedom of Information request F22-174

 

Thank you for your request for information dated 1 April 2022, received by
us on the same date, which is copied below.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case
within 20 working days i.e. on or before 4 May 2022.

 

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number
quoted above and in the subject line of this email.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Sarah Price

IRIS Support Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons

 

[1]www.parliament.uk | [2]@ukparliament | [3]@houseofcommons

 

[4]House of Commons Privacy Notice for the public

 

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From: Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group
<[FOI #850664 email]>
Sent: 01 April 2022 12:22
To: FOI Commons <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Should MPs declare Private
Health insurance in registers of interest?

 

Dear House of Commons,

I am aware that my MP (Craig Mackinlay, South Thanet) is covered by
private health insurance that is provided to him by Beak Kemmenoe
Accountancy firm, where he is one of three partners.

Shouldn't the financial value of Mackinlay's private medical insurance be
listed in his MP's register's of Interest? Currently it is not.

Mackinlay's RoI shows that he receives payments of £1,500 for 20 hrs work
for the firm, monthly. It also shows an 'estimated profit-share allocation
with a value of £2,000 per month until further notice' in November 2021,
but this is only mentioned once.

There is no mention of the private health insurance or any other perks or
benefits.

NB: I cannot ascertain what type of company Beak Kemmenoe is, as it is not
listed on Companies House.

Yours faithfully,

Carly Jeffrey

Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group

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show quoted sections

Abdul Hai left an annotation ()

Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group left an annotation ()

My requesting this information has resulted in a nasty article about me and the campaign group I am a part of appearing on the right wing Guido Fawkes blog. The article is specifically about my FOI request:
https://order-order.com/people/carly-jef...

There are a great deal of comments underneath the article, which are particularly hostile in nature towards me for making this FOI request.

I decided to write to my MP Craig Mackinlay about this directly, as someone must have made an approach to them on his behalf.
This is my email to him:

Dear Craig,
I've been alerted to the Guido Fawkes article about me.

I doubt that the team at Guido Fawkes trawl through the records of FOIs, so it seems most likely that you approached them, which is not a very ethical response to a constituent exercising their right to ask questions about their MP.

I want to be very clear about the reason I think you have private health insurance: it's because you told me yourself that you do.

It was during the surgery at your office on Friday October 19th, 2018. The meeting was about the closure of the QEQM hospital stroke unit, and during the conversation, I asked if you have private health insurance. You freely admitted that you did. You said you got it "through work".

You wouldn't allow me to record the meeting, but I did take detailed notes during the meeting, and I noted down anything I was unable to write down in full while we talked. I did this as soon as I got home after leaving your office. When you refused to allow a recording of the meeting, I did point out that a recording would protect both you and me from being misrepresented and misquoted, but you were adamantly against having a taped record.

Carly Jeffrey

FOI Commons, House of Commons

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Jeffrey,

 

 

Freedom of Information Request F22-174

 

Thank you for your request for information as copied below. You asked the
House of Commons if the financial value of private medical insurance
provided to Craig Mackinlay MP should be declared in the Register of
Members’ Financial Interests.

 

The House of Commons holds recorded information about the registering of
Members’ interests. However, this information is already publicly
available on our website, for transparency purposes.  It is therefore
exempt from disclosure in accordance with section 21(1) and (2)(a) of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), which removes a public authority
from the obligation to provide access to information which is already in
the public domain.  This is an absolute exemption, and the public interest
test does not apply.

 

It may help you to know that the rules and exceptions are explained in
detail in the “Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members”, as
approved by the House on 7 January 2019.  This guide can be found here:
[1]The Code of Conduct together with the Guide to the Rules relating to
the Conduct of Members - House of Commons (parliament.uk).  A shorter
summary can also be found in the Introduction to the Registers available
on our website here:
[2]https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm....
 We hope that is helpful.

 

Lastly please note that, if you feel that Mr Mackinlay has broken the Code
of Conduct for Members, it is possible to complain to the Parliamentary
Commissioner for Standards.  Further details about making a complaint can
be found on our website here: 
[3]https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-....

 

 

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If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner
at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF,
[5]https://ico.org.uk/.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Rights Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) 
House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 0AA 
[6]parliament.uk
[7][IMG]

[8]House of Commons Privacy Notice for the public

[9]Supporting a thriving parliamentary democracy

 

 

From: Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group
<[10][FOI #850664 email]>
Sent: 01 April 2022 12:22
To: FOI Commons <[11][email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Should MPs declare Private
Health insurance in registers of interest?

 

Dear House of Commons,

I am aware that my MP (Craig Mackinlay, South Thanet) is covered by
private health insurance that is provided to him by Beak Kemmenoe
Accountancy firm, where he is one of three partners.

Shouldn't the financial value of Mackinlay's private medical insurance be
listed in his MP's register's of Interest? Currently it is not.

Mackinlay's RoI shows that he receives payments of £1,500 for 20 hrs work
for the firm, monthly. It also shows an 'estimated profit-share allocation
with a value of £2,000 per month until further notice' in November 2021,
but this is only mentioned once.

There is no mention of the private health insurance or any other perks or
benefits.

NB: I cannot ascertain what type of company Beak Kemmenoe is, as it is not
listed on Companies House.

Yours faithfully,

Carly Jeffrey

Save Our NHS in Kent Campaign Group

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[12][FOI #850664 email]

Is [13][House of Commons request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to House of Commons? If so, please contact us using
this form:

[14]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[15]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[16]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

show quoted sections