Decision

Advice Letter: Natalie Evans, Member of the Board, Cricket Builds Hope

Updated 11 July 2024

1. BUSINESS APPOINTMENT APPLICATION: The Rt Hon Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, former Leader of the House of Lords. Unpaid appointment to join Cricket Builds Hope.

You sought advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (the Committee) under the government’s Business Appointments Rules for Former Ministers (the Rules) on an unpaid role you want to take up as Member of the Board with Cricket Builds Hope (CBH).

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. The Committee has considered the risks associated with the actions and decisions made during your time in office, alongside the information and influence you may offer CBH. The material information taken into consideration by the Committee is set out in the annex.

The Committee’s advice is not an endorsement of the appointment - it imposes a number of conditions to mitigate the potential risks to the government associated with the appointment under the Rules.

The Ministerial Code sets out that ministers must abide by the Committee’s advice. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to manage the propriety of any appointment. Former ministers of the Crown, and Members of Parliament, are expected to uphold the highest standards of propriety and act in accordance with the 7 Principles of Public Life.

2. The Committee’s consideration

When considering this application, the Committee^{[footnote 1]} took into account this appointment as Member of the Board is unpaid^{[footnote 2]}. Generally, the Committee’s experience is that the risks related to unpaid roles are limited. The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the Government by considering the real and perceived risks associated with former ministers joining outside organisations. Those risks include: using privileged access to contacts and information to the benefit of themselves or those they represent. The Rules also seek to mitigate the risks that individuals may make decisions or take action in office to in expectation of rewards, on leaving government. These risks are significantly limited in unpaid cases due to the lack of financial gain to the individual.

As the former Leader of the House of Lords you had access to relevant privileged information and knowledge. However, there is no overlap with your role in government and this work. Further, the unpaid nature of this appointment limits the real and perceived risk of you making improper use of information you had access to while in office for your personal benefit.

3. The Committee’s advice

The Committee did not consider this appointment raises any particular proprietary concerns under the government’s Business Appointment Rules. Whilst there are inherent risks associated with your access to sensitive information and contacts, the standard conditions below, preventing you from drawing on your privileged information and using your contacts to the unfair advantage of your new employer, will sufficiently mitigate in this case.

Taking into account these factors, in accordance with the government’s Business Appointment Rules, the Committee advises this appointment with Cricket Builds Hope be subject to the following conditions:

● you should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of yourself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to you from your time in ministerial office;

● for two years from your last day in ministerial office, you should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or its arms’ length bodies on behalf of Cricket Builds Hope (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); nor should you make use, directly or indirectly, of your contacts in the government and/or Crown service to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Cricket Builds Hope (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); and

● for two years from your last day in ministerial office you should not undertake any work with Cricket Builds Hope (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) that involves providing advice on the terms of, or with regard to the subject matter of a bid with, or contract relating directly to the work of, the UK government or its arms’ length bodies.

The advice and the conditions under the government’s Business Appointment Rules relate to an applicant’s previous role in government only; they are separate to rules administered by other bodies such as the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists or the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. You are reminded that all Members of the House of Lords have a separate ban on paid lobbying under the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords whilst they remain a sitting member^{[footnote 3]}. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to understand any other rules and regulations they may be subject to in parallel with this Committee’s advice.

By ‘privileged information’ we mean official information to which a minister or Crown servant has had access as a consequence of his or her office or employment and which has not been made publicly available. Applicants are also reminded that they may be subject to other duties of confidentiality, whether under the Official Secrets Act, the Ministerial Code/Civil Service Code or otherwise.

The Business Appointment Rules explain that the restriction on lobbying means that the former Crown servant/Minister “should not engage in communication with Government (Ministers, civil servants, including special advisers, and other relevant officials/public office holders) – wherever it takes place - with a view to influencing a Government decision, policy or contract award/grant in relation to their own interests or the interests of the organisation by which they are employed, or to whom they are contracted or with which they hold office.”

You must inform us as soon as you take up this work or if it is announced that you will do so. Similarly, you inform us if you propose to extend or otherwise change your role with the organisation as depending on the circumstances, it might be necessary for you to seek fresh advice.

Once this appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, we will publish this letter on the Committee’s website, and where appropriate, refer to it in the relevant annual report.

4. Annex- Material Information

4.1 The role

Cricket Builds Hope is a registered charity of the Charity Commission^{[footnote 4]}. It states that Cricket Builds Hope’s aim is to build and manage, on a not-for-profit basis, the first dedicated international cricket ground in Rwanda. This will promote community participation in healthy recreation for the benefit of the inhabitants of Rwanda and bring people together through participation in the sport.

In your unpaid role as Member of the Board, you stated your responsibilities include:

● governance of the CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) and its adherence to its charitable objectives;

● ensuring the charity is well run and efficient.

You stated that you have known the charity for a long time - and have attended fundraising events and done readings at their winter carol service.

You stated: ‘In this role I would not undertake any direct advocacy on behalf of the CIO towards UK Government Ministers or Departmental Officials. I will maintain full compliance with the House of Lords Code of Conduct.’

4.2 Dealings in office

You informed the Committee that you were not involved in any decisions, nor met with CBH as part of your responsibilities in office. You added that you do not possess sensitive information specific to the charity.

4.3 Departmental Assessment

The Cabinet Office confirmed the details you provided and stated that:

● you were not involved in policy or regulatory decisions specific to CBH;

● you do not possess sensitive information specific to CBH; and

● it does not have concerns regarding the appointment.

1. This application for advice was considered by Andrew Cumpsty; Sarah de Gay; Isabel Doverty; Hedley Finn OBE; Baroness Jones of Whitchurch; The Rt Hon Lord Pickles; Michael Prescott; and Michael Weir. Dawid Konohey-Atulu was unavailable. ↩

2. By unpaid the Committee means that no remuneration of any kind is received for the role. Applicants must declare where it is agreed or anticipated they may receive remuneration or some other compensation at some stage in the future. ↩

3. Advice on your obligations under the Code can be sought from the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards. ↩

4. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5045723 ↩