Scrutiny of public appointments by select committees
16 June 2011
The Commons Liaison Committee takes evidence today on "pre-appointment hearings". Select committees began holding "pre-appointment hearings" with the Government's nominees for key public appointments in 2008
Reviewing the "experiment", in its final report of the last Parliament, the Liaison Committee recommended "that a list of criteria governing the posts subject to pre-appointment hearings be established and a revised list of such posts agreed between the Government and the Liaison Committee and that a revised set of guidelines on the nature and purpose of pre-appointment hearings be agreed between the Cabinet Office and the Liaison Committee".
- Recommendations on pre-appointment hearings (from Second Report from the Liaison Committee of Session 2009-10, The Work of Committees in Session 2008-09, HC 426, paragraphs 60-72)
These recommendations followed a research project commissioned jointly by the Liaison Committee and the Cabinet Office conducted by the Constitution Unit of UCL.
- Research project: Parliamentary Scrutiny of Senior Public Appointments (external website)
In its response to these recommendations, the Coalition Government announced that it was committed to strengthening the powers of select committees to scrutinise major public appointments.
- Pre-Appointment Hearings: Further Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2009-10 (The Work of Committees in 2008-09) (Second Special Report from the Liaison Committee, Session 2010-12, HC 564)
The Liaison Committee is now considering how to take these proposals forward, and what changes might be made to the agreement between it and the Government on the scope and nature of pre-appointment hearings.
On 16 June the Committee will hear evidence from the Institute for Government (which also published a recent report on pre-appointment hearings) from the Constitution Unit, UCL, and from Rt Hon. Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office.
- The right role for parliament in public appointments (report from the Institute for Government - external website)
Witnesses
9.45am
- Lord Adonis and Akash Paun, Institute for Government; and Professor Robert Hazell and Peter Waller, The Constitution Unit, UCL
10.30am
- Rt Hon. Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, and officials.
The session is being held in the Boothroyd Room in Portcullis House and is expected to last an hour and a half.
The Liaison Committee is made up of 33 Chairs of Select Committees.