Committee evidence session on Lords ministers
22 October 2009 (updated on 22 April 2010)
The Public Administration Committee takes evidence at 10am from one former and two current ministers in the House of Lords, as part of its inquiry into the ways in which the Government brings outside experience and expertise into ministerial and other political offices.
- Video and audio evidence session: Lord Adonis, Lord West and Lord Darzi
- Public Administration Committee
- Inquiry: Ministerial and other appointments from outside Parliament
The witnesses are:
- Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport,
- Admiral Lord West, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Security
- Lord Darzi, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, and the Government’s Health and Life Sciences Ambassador
Issues in which the Committee is interested include:
- the case for and against making more ministerial appointments to the Lords from outside Parliament
- the constitutional implications of such appointments
- whether recent ministerial appointments to the House of Lords have been a success or not
- whether such appointees are sufficiently accountable
- the case for and against appointing 'tsars'
- the increasing size of government and the role of unpaid ministers