Decision

Summary of business appointments applications - Baroness Northover

Updated 19 July 2017

© Crown copyright 2017

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northover-baroness-parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-dfid-acoba-recommendation/summary-of-business-appointments-applications-baroness-northover

Baroness Northover left her role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, DFID, in May 2015.

1. Member, Wilton Park Advisory Council

Baroness Northover sought the Committee’s advice about accepting a role as a member of Wilton Park Advisory Council.

Wilton Park is an executive agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It provides an international forum for strategic discussion, bringing together leading representatives from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, academia, business, civil society, the military and the media and focusing on issues of international security, prosperity and justice.

Baroness Northover explained that her role would be to attend conferences and to engage with the planning of future events. This is an unpaid position, likely to amount to 7 days’ work per year.

When considering the application the Committee took into account that while the role may require some contact with Government it will not involve lobbying.

The Committee sought the opinion of Baroness Northover’s former department, which did not have any concerns regarding the propriety of this appointment.

Taking into account the specific facts in this case in accordance with the Government’s Business Appointment Rules, the Committee advised the appointment be subject to the following conditions:

  • That she should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of yourself or the organisation to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to her as a Minister; and

  • For two years from her last day in ministerial office, she should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of Wilton Park.

The Committee wrote its advice letter to Baroness Northover in May 2016.

2. Trustee, Malaria Consortium

Baroness Northover sought advice from the Committee about taking up a role with Malaria Consortium.

In considering the application the Committee noted this was an unpaid, part time role with a charitable organisation, involving four days’ work a year. The Committee also noted Baroness Northover had no official dealings with Malaria Consortium while in office; nor did she have responsibility for decisions on funding for malaria related charities.

The Committee took into account that the role was unlikely to involve contact with Government and that Baroness Northover’s former department had no concerns about the appointment.

In accordance with the Government’s Business Appointment Rules, the Committee advised the appointment be subject to the following conditions:

  • that Baroness Northover should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of herself or the organisation to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to her from her time in Government; and
  • for two years from her last day in ministerial office she should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of Malaria Consortium, or make use, directly or indirectly, of her contacts in Government and/or Crown service to influence policy or secure funding on behalf of Malaria Consortium.

The letter containing the final advice was sent in November 2016, and she took up the appointment later that month.

3. Visiting Professor, Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI)

Baroness Northover sought the Committee’s advice about a role as a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI). IGHI is part of Imperial College London and works to design and diffuse high impact global healthcare innovations and to reduce health inequalities worldwide.

The Committee noted that the appointment is a part-time, unpaid position to assist with research and teaching, and that DFID had no concerns about the position.

The Committee acknowledged that members of staff of Imperial College will have bid for DFID funds in the past and led DFID-funded programmes (and will continue to do so in future). However, the Committee agreed with the Department that neither of these factors represented a conflict of interest in the context of this appointment with IGHI. The Committee additionally noted that the role will not include any lobbying of Government.

Therefore, the Committee recommended that there was no reason why she should not take up the appointment, subject to the conditions that:

  • Baroness Northover should not draw on any privileged information available to her from her time in Government; and

  • for two years from her last day in ministerial office she should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of IGHI or Imperial College London.

While recognising that her appointment will be part-time and unpaid, given the relationship between DFID and IGHI/Imperial, set out above, the Committee felt that it is worth adding, to avoid any perception that this might be the case, that Baroness Northover should not advise IGHI/Imperial on any bids for DFID funding.

The letter containing the final advice was sent in August 2015, and she took up the appointment in January 2016.

Back to top