AN Enfield MP has been accused of not declaring a potential conflict of interest over the controversial reforms of the NHS.
Labour MP for Easington Grahame Morris has complained that Nick de Bois failed to declared his links to Rapiergroup during debate on the Health and Social Care Bill.
Mr de Bois, Conservative MP for Enfield North, describes himself as a reformer and has been a vocal proponent of the bill before Parliament, which would bring in radical changes to the NHS.
However, he denies doing anything wrong, pointing out he has declared his role at Rapiergroup in full in his general Parliamentary declarations.
Mr Morris, who sat alongside Mr de Bois on the committee scrutinising the controversial health legislation in detail, has written to Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow to complain.
He argues part of Rapiergroup's portfolio is for “strategic communications” for several private medical and pharmaceutical firms, and Mr Morris claims some of these companies will benefit from the reforms being considered.
He wrote: “Mr de Bois has not declared the size of his shareholding, but as he is the former Chairman and Chief Executive of the company, and so it is likely to be significant.
“The provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill will arguably benefit the interests of the pharmaceutical sector in a number of ways, ranging from the potential for greater sales to the new GP commissioning consortia through to the downgrading of NICE, which had long been considered an obstacle to greater profits.
“Mr de Bois spoke at the Second Reading of the Health and Social Care Bill, and sat on the Public Bill Committee, as I did. He did not declare this interest at either point.”
However, Mr de Bois, who built up the firm and remains a non-executive chairman and majority shareholder, said he was not part of the running of the business anymore, which had been handed over to a management team.
He said: “Everything about my company in which I am the majority shareholder, is and had always been in the Parliamentary declarations of interests, in great detail and it sets out all the company names and details.”
He added that the firm organises promotion events and exhibitions for a wide variety of industries, and pharmaceutical companies make up just five per cent of the overall business.
Mr de Bois hit the headlines last week when an email to his Conservative colleagues in Parliament was leaked, in which he urged them to stay firm on core principles – dubbed “red lines” - over NHS reform.
One of the red lines insisted “patients should be able to be treated at any qualified provider” and Mr de Bois called for the Government to not stand in the way of those providers.
He today stood firm on his email, and said it is important to push ahead with health care and welfare reform.
He rejected the idea being suggested by senior Lib Dems - of ditching the timetable for NHS reform and piloting the changes before pushing ahead – but added GPs struggling to be in a position to take over service commissioning by April 2013 should be given assistance.
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