Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact of Lord Mandelson's shareholdings in Global Counsel on his suitability to be appointed as UK Ambassador to the United States prior to that appointment being made.

The Government's policy of not commenting on individual personnel matters remains unchanged, but where the Humble Address process required the disclosure of relevant documentation, we have met those requirements. I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 1 June. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan Police.