Commentary on Sections Gifts
89.Paragraph 6 provides for gifts which a member receives, or has received, that exceed 1 per cent of the gross annual salary of the member on the date when the gift was received to be a registrable interest. In addition to exceeding this financial threshold the gift must be one that meets the prejudice test. Thus the member must be satisfied that if after taking into account all the circumstances, that interest would reasonably be considered to prejudice, or to give the appearance of prejudicing, the ability of the member to participate in a disinterested manner in any proceedings of the Parliament. Gifts to the member or a company in which a member has a controlling interest or a partnership of which the member is a partner are all covered by this paragraph. It is expressly provided that it does not apply to the costs of travel and subsistence in connection with the member’s attendance at a conference where these are met, in whole or in part, by the organiser of or one of the parties at the conference.