Between 2005 and 2018, I worked as a low-to-mid-ranking lawyer in two central government departments and then for an independent regulator. In all three cases, the conflict of interest policy required not only the declaration of all gifts and hospitality but also the refusal of any worth more than £30. In all cases, the policy stated that it was important to avoid not just actual impropriety but also the appearance of a potential for impropriety. Why should such policies apply to officials whose role is to advise decision-makers but not to those with the power to actually make decisions?
Jane Carmichael
Melbourn, Cambridgeshire
• NHS employees are prohibited from accepting any gifts worth more than £25 (the upper limit may vary, depending on local policies, but not by much), whether from suppliers, patients, the public or others. Why, then, are MPs treated differently? They are public servants after all. Should they not be bound by similar policies, thus removing the temptations that allow them to make such poor judgments?
Fiona Harcombe
Greenford, London
