Prosper De Mulder And The Conservative Party

EDM number 1006 in 1995-96, proposed by David Hinchliffe on 17/06/1996.

That this House notes with interest and concern the findings of the joint Observer/World in Action investigation into the relationship between Mr John Whitefield, the honourable Member for Dewsbury from 1983 to 1987, and Prosper De Mulder, the rendering company whose products are believed to have been a major source of BSE in cattle; notes that during his time in the House Mr Whitfield acted as the company's solicitor and arranged lobbying meetings on their behalf with Government Ministers geared to persuading the Government not to abandon the use of meat and bone products in animal feeds and that the Dewsbury Conservative Association received a donation of ú1,000 from Prosper De Mulder in 1992 at a time when Mr Whitfield was seeking re-election as that constituency's honourable Member, calls upon the company to make public all its donations to, and connnections with the Conservative party; and calls upon the Law Society to investigate whether Mr Whitfield's lobbying activities were consistent with their procedures governing proper professional practice; and calls upon the Minister of Agricutlure, Fisheries and Food to place in the Library c opies of any correspondence of minutes of any meetings between Mr Whitfield or Prosper De Mulder and the Government.

This motion has been signed by a total of 53 MPs.