Committee welcomes nomination of three new lay members

• Committee on Standards

House of Commons Commission report

The House of Commons Commission report (PDF 73.8 KB) recommends three candidates for appointment as new lay members of the Committee on Standards. These names will now go to the House of Commons for agreement by a formal resolution.

The candidates named are Tammy Banks, Rita Dexter and Paul Thorogood. Their biographies are set out in the Commission's report (PDF 73.8 KB). They were selected after a rigorous and open appointment process which examined 255 applications for the three places.  

Chair's comments

The Chair of the Committee on Standards, Sir Kevin Barron MP, said:

"The Committee very much welcomes the nomination of three new lay members. Lay members have quickly become accepted as an integral part of the standards system in the Commons. We are very pleased that the Commission had such a high quality field to choose from and that it has put forward a slate of candidates which will greatly enhance the diversity of skills and experience on the Committee."

Background

The House of Commons is the only Westminster-style Parliament where lay people work alongside MPs in the disciplinary system. The first lay members, appointed in 2013, are now coming to the end of their term of office. The House is looking for three people to replace them, joining the four additional members appointed last year.

There are equal numbers of lay members and MPs on the Committee. The lay members take a full role in the Committee's deliberations on individual cases and have led on reform of the system as a whole.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees