Tim Yeo has finally written to Ed Davey about Lord Deben's conflicts of interest.
We appreciate your words of reassurance about the measures put in place to guard against conflicts of interest or perceptions of them, by Lord Deben and all the members of the Committee on Climate Change. These are welcome. However, the lack of clarity on this specific point has caused ongoing media criticism and speculation. We can only conclude therefore, that the measures put in place, and the reassurances you have given, are not sufficient to effectively address the perception of conflict of interest in the public domain.
This bit is completely damning:
Your most recent letter implies that the role of Veolia in energy infrastructure work was clearly known by DECC and Cabinet Office officials at the time of Lord Deben ' s appointment and "it was felt that the potential for any real conflict was remote as the company was mainly involved in infrastructure connection projects.
The fact remains however, that it was not made clear to the Committee at the time of its pre-appointment hearing, despite there being ample opportunity (extracts of evidence again attached) , the extent of Veolia's energy infrastructure role, and the potential for the company to make considerable profits in respect of that work.
Unfortunately, there is little indication that they intend to do anything about it. I guess we have to wait to see whether Davey is going to try to kick the issue into the long grass or whether he will try to do the right thing.