Nirj Deva

Nirj Deva    (politician)
A member of the European Parliament

Nirj Deva (born 11 May 1948, Colombo, Sri Lanka) is an MEP for South East from the Conservative and Unionist Party.

Affiliations

• Vice-Chairman, Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia
• Member, Committee on Development
• Member, Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
• Substitute, Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with India
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

Professional Activities:

• HM Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Greater London
• Hon Ambassador at large for the Government of Sri Lanka
• Chair, Friends of Afghanistan in the European Parliament
• Chair, Friends of Indonesia in the European Parliament
• Hon Life President EU-India chamber of commerce
• Founder, Friends of Sri Lanka in the European Parliament
• Hon Chair, One Laptop Per Child Europe
• Hon Advisor of International Association for Human Values

Remunerated Functions or Activities:

• Chairman (non exec.) Symphony Plastic Technologies plc.
• Dir. (non-exec) Distilleries Corporation of Sri Lanka
• Dir. (non-exec) Aitken Spence Ltd, Sri Lanka

Family companies:

• Dir. (non-exec) Waulugalle Distilleries Ltd (est. 1910)
• Dir. (non-exec) Kalutara Beach Resorts Serene Vilas Ltd, SL
• Proprietor, Erabodoyama Estates Ltd, SL
• Proprietor, Castle Street Properties, SL
• Dir. Hotel Services (Ceylon) plc (non-exec)
• Dir. Deva Holdings Ltd (non-exec)

Support Received in Connection with Political Activities:

financial: (all MEPs)

• BAA - Free parking at UK airports
• SNCB - Belgian Rail pass
• Air France - Air France pass
• British Airways - BA silver card
• British Midland - BMI silver card
• Eurostar - access to preferential tickets

in terms of staff:

• I employ 4 full time and 4 part time assistants including my wife who has worked for me as my personal assistant since 1992 in the House of Commons and now lives and works in Brussels and occasionally in London, and is paid a salary in the range of £20,000 - £25,000. My paying agent is Richard Vaughan FCA, MBCS, CITP of R.L. Vaughan & Co. who manages the payroll of my local staff.

Additional Information:

• Member, UK Conservative Party
• Member, Conservative Way Forward
• Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) since 1996
• Member, Carlton Club
• Knight Commander, Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George
• President, International Committee on Human Dignity

Former Declaration of Financial Interests

Professional Activities: (unpaid)

• HM Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Greater London
• Hon Ambassador at large for Sri Lanka
• Chair, Friends of Afghanistan in the European Parliament
• Chair, Friends of Indonesia in the European Parliament
• Hon chairman EU-India chamber of commerce
• Founder, Friends of Sri Lanka in the European Parliament

Remunerated Functions or Activities:

• Dep. chairman (non exec.) Symphony Plastic Technologies plc.
• Dir. (non exec.) Waulugalle Distilleries Ltd (est. 1910)
• Dir. (non exec.) Ceylon and Foreign Trades Ltd (est. 1920)
• Dir. (non exec.) Speed Developments LTD, Sri Lanka
• Dir. (non exec.) Dilmah Fine Teas and Herbs Ltd, Sri Lanka
• Dir. (non exec.) Distilleries Corporation of Sri Lanka
• Dir. (non exec.) Aitken Spence Ltd, Sri Lanka
• Dir. (non exec.) First European & Commonwealth Asiatian SL Ltd
• Dir. (non exec.) Kalutara Beach Resorts ...(illegible word) Vilas Ltd SL
• Proprietor, Erabadagama Estates Ltd SL
• Proprietor, Castle Street Properties SL
• Advisor, Future Metals Corporation (India + Dubai) Ltd

Support Received in Connection with Political Activities:

• BAA - Free parking at UK airports - all MEPs
• SNCB - Belgian Rail pass - all MEPs
• Air France - Air France pass - all MEPs
• British Airways - BA silver card
• British Midland - BMI silver card
• Eurostar - access to preferential tickets - all MEPs
• Beneficiary of the campaign to elect Nirj Deva as United Nations Secretary General in succession to ...(illegible word) Kofi Annan
• Member UK Conservative Party
• Member Conservative Way Forward
• Fellow Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) since 1996
• Member Carlton Club
• Knight Commander, Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George

Additional Information:

Visits:

• 2-6 December 2005: to Kazakhstan at initiation of Caspian Information Centre
• 27-23 July 2006: flight to California, Conference pass fees, accommodation, entertainment and dinners at ALEC conference provided by American Legislative Exchange Council
• 25-31 July 2006: visit to Jilin and Beijing provinces in China. Tickets to Beijing paid for by self; hospitality, hotel and internal travel paid for by Jilin-Northwest Asia Investment & Trade Expo; met senior officials regarding trade and relationships with the EU.
• 1-4 September 2006: attended the opening of the Jilin- Northwest Asia Investment & Trade Expo. met with UNIDO Representative and related Foreign Commerce and Governmental officials including Minister of Trade. Tickets to Beijing paid for by self; hospitality, hotel and internal travel paid for by Expo.
• 19-23 October 2006: invited by Asia Education Forum. Met with 26 education ministers from across SE and central Asia, to assist in increasing education capacity, made keynote speech on behalf of EU. Air tickets , hotel, internal travel paid for by Forum
• 26 May-2 June 2007: visited China with Friends of China Group in the European Parliament, travel paid for by self; hotel and internal travel paid for by Chinese People's National Congress, Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
• 15-20 August 2007: observer of the Kazakhstan Parliamentary elections at the invitation of the Caspian Information Centre.
• 10-12 April 2008: Chairmen Peace Conference in Oslo "Peace in South Asia, including Sri Lanka and Nepal" sponsored by the Art of Living Foundation. Ticket and Hotel paid by sponsor
• 20-22 May 2008: Guest Lecturer MIT Media Labs, Boston "One Laptop per Child" Initiative. Plane ticket and Hotel paid for by MIT Boston Mass.

Staff:

• During the years 2007/08, he states: "I have employed 6 full time and 5 part time assistants; including my wife who has worked for me as my personal assistant since 1992 in the House of Commons and now lives and works in Brussels and occasionally in London, and is paid a salary in the range of £25,000 - £35,000. All my assistants are paid directly by the Parliament with direct contracts. I have no intermediary paying agent. I also employ various stagires [sic.: should be stagiares or interns] from time to time."

Background of Conflicts

Potential Conflicts of Interest

According to The Times website, Nirj Deva used an official trip in 2006 to Barbados to lobby on behalf of a plastic bag company seeking to expand its business in the developing world:

Mr Deva was in Europe’s delegation for the Africa Caribbean Pacific-European Union joint parliamentary assembly (JPA), where MEPs meet MPs from developing nations to discuss aid.

Mr Deva used the opportunity to promote the business he chairs. Symphony’s executives flew out to host a cocktail and dinner reception at the Barbados Hilton where about 100 guests were told about the company’s biodegradable plastic bags. Symphony urged developing countries against banning plastic.

Record of Parliamentary Votes

• Voted against the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.
• Voted in favour of the directive on "national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants" (A5-0063/2000). The amendment allows setting less ambitious national emission ceilings for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which would result in more damage to human health and the environment.
• Voted against the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
• Voted in favour of the report on "Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network" (A5-0135/2002). The Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T) is a network of so-called 'transport corridors' through Europe. This amendment calls for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of these transport corridors and calls on the Commission to improve methods for analysing the environmental and economic impact of the TEN-T.
• Voted against the regulation concerning "traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms" (A5-0229/2002). The amendment allows customers the right to choose GM free food.
• Voted against the report towards a "thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides" (A5-0061/2003). The amendment proposes to ban or severely restrict use of pesticides in areas around sources of drinking water and nature protected zones.
• Voted against the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.
• Voted against the amendment on Bulgaria’s progress towards accession (A5-0105/2004). The report objects to extending the life of the nuclear power stations in Bulgaria.

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• Research Fellow, University of Loughborough (1971-73), Graduate of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Scientific advisor (1975-80), businessman and company director (1980-99). Current: Chm Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC, Director Aitken Spence Ltd, Director, Distilleries Corporation Ltd, (both Forbes 300 Asian Companies), Advisor London Asia Capital plc, Chm Serene Resorts Ltd (Beach Property Developers).
• Chairman, Bow Group (1981). Editor, Crossbow Magazine (1983), Political Advisor to the Home Secretary (1984-85). Chairman, One Nation Forum Political Committee (1988-1991). Chairman, Committee on the Deregulation of European Air Transport (1983-86). Member, Governing Council of the Royal Commonwealth Society (1977-80). Secretary-General, Institute of Constitutional Research, London (1998). Deputy Lord Lieutenant of greater London (1985- ). Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts 1994-; Vishwa Kirithi Sri Lanka Abhimaniya 2005-
• Member of Parliament for Brentford and Isleworth (1992-1997). Select Committees: Education (1994-96) and Parliamentary Ombudsman (1993-97) Member, European Standing Committee B (1992-97). Member of Her Majesty's Government, Parliamentary Private Secretary, Scottish Office (1995-97). Advisor to Iain Duncan Smith (2001-03).
• Member of the European Parliament for South East England (1999 - ). Current Co-coordinator of Overseas Development and Co-operation. European Delegate to the ACP-EU (1999 - ), European Parliament delegate to ASEAN countries (2002 - ). European Parliament's current Rapporteur on the World Trade Organisation and Development (2000 - ). Parliament representative on the Executive Council of the North-South Centre (since 2004). EPP-ED Coordinator in the Committee on Development and in the ACP Delegation (since 2004).
• Chairman Working Grp A of Development Committee overseeing the Country Strategy papers for Asia, Central Asia and Far East; Co-Leader (with Michel Rocard, former PM of France ) of European Parliament Delegation to the United Nations World Summit and General Assembly 2006; Chm Friendship Groups for China; Bangladesh; Sri Lanka; Indonesia; Afghanistan; in the European Parliament.
• International Organisations : Hon Ambassador at Large for Sri Lanka 2003; Candidate to succeed HE Kofi Annan as Secretary General of the United Nations in 2006; Chairman EU India Chamber of Commerce 2005; Chairman European Peace Foundation 2007. Negotiated resolution: on WTO / Seattle in Abuja, 2000; on Pacific region and chaired workshop on Sustainable development and management of natural resources in Brussels, 2000; on Everything But Arms in Libreville, 2001; on parliamentary dimension of WTO in Brussels, 2001.
• Negotiated: joint resolution on the situation in the Pacific in Cape Town, 2002; compromise with the ACP side on Agricultural and mining commodities in Brussels 2005; the adoption of the Deerpalsing / Deva report on The problematics of energy in the ACP countries in Vienna 2006.
• International Missions including Election Observer Missions to Afghanistan (2004, 2005) as Chm Indonesia (2003, 2006) Kazakhstan (2005, 2007); East Timor (2006).
• Key note speaker at a conferences on Child Labour and Education (India 2004); Global Peace (India 2005) UN Reform; Heritage Foundation, Hudson Institute Washington (2006), Council on Foreign Relations New York (2006), EU China Relations: Beijing, Changchun, Shanghai (2005, 2006, 2007).
• Constant flow of speeches in the European Parliament mainly on Development issues. Topics include 'Private/Public sector undertakings in Developing Countries', 'Human Rights in Zimbabwe', 'Eradication of Poverty, Diseases and Food Shortages'. Co-initiator of Motions for Resolutions on subjects such as European Trade, human rights in Zimbabwe and the situation in Burma.
• Author of a number of pamphlets such as 'Who really governs Britain' (Bow Group) and articles for the European Journal.

Resources

• Election Campaign, Nirj Joseph Deva, accessed 30 May 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Nirj Deva, 07 July 2008, accessed 08 February 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Nirj Deva, 20 July 2009, accessed 04 November 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Nirj Deva, accessed 08 February 2009.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 07 February 2009.
• Kennedy, Dominic, "Nirj Deva MEP promoted business interests on expenses-paid EU visit," The Times, 29 May 2009, accessed 01 June 2009.

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