Decision

Summary of business appointments applications - Dr Will Cavendish

Updated 28 February 2018

Dr Will Cavendish left his role as DG for Innovation, Growth and Technology, Department of Health, in February 2016. Between February and September 2016 he was seconded to the Cabinet Office to lead short-term projects.

1. Director, Cities Advisory, Arup

Dr Cavendish sought the Committee’s advice on taking up the position of Director, Cities Advisory, at Arup, a global built environment and engineering consultancy. This is a full-time, paid position.

The Committee observed that the main risks with this appointment are associated with Dr Cavendish’s secondment to the Cabinet Office directly before he left Crown service in September 2016, where he led an internal review of HS2.

Given HS2 Ltd has awarded contracts to Arup, and in view of Dr Cavendish’s involvement in the internal review of HS2, there is a risk that on the surface this appointment could be perceived as a reward for decisions made in office. However, the information that Dr Cavendish has provided about the nature of the Review makes clear there was no link between his role in the Review and any commercial arrangements being used by HS2 Ltd to contract with various companies.

There is a possibility that Dr Cavendish’s time working on the Review might confer an unfair advantage on Arup. In that respect DfT has been clear that it would want to ensure he would not be involved in lobbying Government departments about HS2-related issues or make use of any information he received in the course of the Review. The Committee has imposed a condition that precludes his involvement in any work relating to HS2 for two years from his last day in Crown service. The Committee also notes the undertaking Dr Cavendish has given to this effect.

Dr Cavendish has said that he may have some limited contact with Government in this role. The Committee considers that if Dr Cavendish were invited by Government to attend meetings to discuss issues such as urban strategy or the opportunity of Artificial Intelligence, it would not be inappropriate for him to attend. However, as noted by the Permanent Secretary for DH, he would need to ensure that none of his actions could be considered as lobbying Government.

When considering this application the Committee also took into account that 16 months have passed since Dr Cavendish left office, which puts a significant gap between his involvement in the Review and his taking up this role with Arup.

The Prime Minister accepted the Committee’s advice that this appointment be subject to the following conditions:

• He should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of himself or the organisation to which this advice refers) privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service;
• For two years from his last day in service he should not be involved in any work relating to HS2 or provide any information or advice to Arup in relation to any aspect of HS2.
• For two years from his last day in service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of Arup or its subsidiaries or clients. This would not prevent him from contributing to Government discussions on the built environment and digital transformation where invited to do so by Government. However, he may not make use, directly or indirectly, of his contacts in Government and/or Crown service to influence policy or secure business on behalf of Arup or its subsidiaries or clients.

The letter containing the Committee’s advice was sent in February 2018 and the appointment was taken up later the same month.

2. Director of Strategy, Google DeepMind

Dr Cavendish sought the Committee’s advice on taking up an appointment as Director of Strategy at Google DeepMind (GDM), a technology company in the field of artificial intelligence.

When considering this application the Committee noted that Dr Cavendish has not had any direct contractual dealings with GDM or its parent company, Alphabet, or held any meetings with them. It took into account that as DG Innovation, Growth and Technology (IGT) in the Department of Health (DH), he met twice with Verily, a separate sub-organisation of Alphabet, to discuss their work on new health technologies such as digital contact lenses and digital diabetes monitoring. Dr Cavendish was also involved in contractual dealings with a group of organisations that included Google Life Sciences (now Verily) as part of the NHS Test Beds programme. This competition was run by Innovate UK in accordance with their rules for fair and open competition and the contracts will be formally let by NHS England, not DH.

When considering this application the Committee took into account that DH had no reservations about the appointment given the six-month period between Dr Cavendish leaving his role in DH and his start at GDM. The Committee considered that had Dr Cavendish been looking to move directly from DH to GDM, a waiting period of up to six months would have been appropriate.

The Prime Minister accepted the Committee’s advice that there was no reason why Dr Cavendish should not take up this appointment, subject to the following conditions:

• For 12 months from his last day of service he should not provide advice to Google DeepMind on the terms of a bid or contract relating directly to the work of the Department of Health;
• He should not draw on any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service; and
• For two years from his last day in service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of Google DeepMind, its subsidiaries or Alphabet, its parent company.

The letter containing the final advice was sent in September 2016 and the appointment was taken up in October.