House of Commons Commission bulletin – 18 March 2015

Governance of the House of Commons: The Commission again considered the recommendations of the Committee on House of Commons Governance and agreed the following written statement that was made on 17 March.

• At its meeting on 16 March, the Commission again considered implementation of the recommendations of the Committee on House of Commons Governance.
• The Commission noted that the House of Commons Commission Bill passed all its Commons stages on 24 February and received an unopposed Second reading in the Lords on 12 March.  It also noted that motions to implement changes in Standing Orders relating to the Finance and Services Committee and Administration Committees were approved by the House on 10 March.
• The recruitment for the post of the Director General of the House of Commons was launched on 18 February. The closing date for applications was 16 March. The Commission expects the long-listing stage to be completed before dissolution, with a final appointment being made after the election by a panel appointed by the new Commission.
• The House Committee in the House of Lords has agreed to the proposal that a first joint meeting of the Commission and the House Committee should take place in October. It is expected that the agenda will include discussion of opportunities for greater joint working and strategic security matters.
• The Commission also considered interim arrangements pending appointment of its external members in the new parliament.

Digital Democracy Commission Report/Erskine May: The Commission noted the actions being taken by the House Service in response to the recommendations addressed to it by the Digital Democracy Commission. The Commission agreed that current edition of Erskine May should be made available on the parliamentary intranet and that cost-effective options for online publication of future editions should be explored further.

Security Governance: The Commission noted progress with implementing the recommendations of the Jenkins Review of Security Governance. This included proposals – still to be considered by the House Committee in the House of Lords – to replace the Joint Committee on Security (JCOS) with a new Consultative Panel on Parliamentary Security to support the Speaker and Lord Speaker in regard to security and provide a forum for Members’ views.

Lay Members of the Committee on Standards: The Commission agreed that, subject to the Committee on Standards being content, the House should in the new parliament be invited to re-appoint the three existing lay members of the Committee on Standards for terms of two years. This will enable the Committee to be quorate as soon as the parliamentary members of the Committee are appointed.

Delegations’ Administrative Guide:  The Commission agreed a revised text of the Administrative Guide for all Members of the UK Delegations to the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, NATO and the OSCE.  Assuming that the House Committee in the House of Lords also agrees the text, the new Guide will apply from after the election. The main changes are that funding will in future be provided for relevant sub-Committee Chairs to attend the annual NATO PA Transatlantic Forum and in the arrangements for use of Eurostar.

Diversity and Inclusion: The Commission endorsed the findings of an independent review of the Diversity and Inclusion Scheme 2012–15. A summary of the review is available on the parliamentary intranet. The Commission also agreed that a draft diversity and inclusion scheme to cover the next three years should be presented to it in the new parliament.