lord chancellor, Clarke, Falconer
Lords to hear from Ken Clarke and Lord Falconer
22 October 2014
On Wednesday 22 October the House of Lords Constitution Committee will take evidence from former Lord Chancellors Ken Clarke MP and Lord Falconer of Thoroton as well as former Permanent Secretaries in the Lord Chancellor’s department. Their evidence will form part of the committee's inquiry into the office of Lord Chancellor.
- Parliament TV: Office of Lord Chancellor inquiry
- Inquiry: Office of Lord Chancellor
- Select Committee on the Constitution
Witnesses
Wednesday 22 October, Committee Room 1, Palace of Westminster:
At 10:30am:
- Sir Alex Allan, former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice.
- Sir Thomas Legg, former Permanent Secretary, Lord Chancellor’s Department.
- Sir Hayden Phillips, former Permanent Secretary, Lord Chancellor’s Department.
At 11:15 am:
- Kenneth Clarke MP, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.
- Lord Falconer of Thoroton QC, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.
Possible questions
The Committee will ask the witnesses about a range of issues.
In the first session the focus will be on:
- The role of the Lord Chancellor in upholding the rule of law
- How civil servants and the law officers alert the Lord Chancellor to threats to the rule of law
- Whether it is desirable for the office of Lord Chancellor to be held by a Minister with other responsibilities
In the second session with the former Lord Chancellors, the Committee will ask:
- Whether the witnesses agree with Chris Grayling’s evidence to the Committee that there are advantages to the Lord Chancellor not being a lawyer
- Whether the Lord Chancellor should be a senior figure without aspirations for further career advancement in order to ensure their independence in upholding the rule of law and judicial independence