Instrument of Delegation – July 2022

Instrument of Delegation from the House of Commons Commission to the Commons Executive Board, July 2022

Commons Executive Board

In pursuance of paragraph 5(2) of Schedule 1 of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978, the House of Commons Commission hereby establishes the Commons Executive Board.

The membership of the Commons Executive Board shall be the Clerk of the House; the Director General (Operations); the Clerk Assistant and Managing Director of the Chamber and Participation Team; the Managing Director of Finance, Portfolio and Performance; the Managing Director of People and Culture; the Managing Director of Strategic Estates; the Librarian and Managing Director of Research and Information; the Managing Director of the Select Committee Team; Speaker’s Counsel; the Managing Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service; and the Director of Security for Parliament. The Clerk of the House shall be chair of the Commons Executive Board, or, in their absence, the Director General (Operations).

The Commons Executive Board shall:

1. be responsible for ensuring that the conditions of the service of staff in the House of Commons Service conform to the provisions of sections 2(2) and 2(3) of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978;
2. exercise on behalf of the Commission its other functions concerning staff in the House Service (except those relating to the appointment of staff under section 2(1) of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978 and those relating to House Departments under section 4 of the Act);
3. exercise on behalf of the Commission the responsibilities referred to in paragraph 5(5) of Schedule 1 of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978 for considering representations made in relation to matters affecting the interests, in connection with their employment, of staff in the House Service by trade unions who are recognised by the Commission in respect of such staff, and for the conduct of consultations and negotiations about such matters with those trade unions, subject always to the ultimate right of those trade unions to make representations to the Commission in cases where the procedures established under the authority of the Commission and agreed by both sides of the House of Commons Whitley Committee, have been exhausted.

Subject to the above, the Commons Executive Board shall also:

1. Assist the Commission in setting strategic objectives for the House of Commons Administration, and to be accountable to the Commission for the delivery of the strategy.
2. Assist the Finance Committee in the preparation of the Estimates and of other papers relating to those Votes, before their submission to the House of Commons Commission; and to carry out such other functions relating to the expenditure on the administration of House of Commons services as may from time to time be allocated to it by the Commission.
3. Direct the House of Commons Administration, deciding policy and operational issues as delegated to it by the Commission, the Speaker or the Clerk, managing performance KPIs and driving efficient use of resources.
4. Provide assurance to the Audit and Risk Committee on the management and mitigation of risk.
5. Support the Clerk in the exercise of their responsibilities as Corporate Officer, Accounting Officer and Head of the House of Commons Service, and to support the Director General (Operations) in the exercise of their responsibilities.

The Commons Executive Board shall exercise its powers subject to the control of the Accounting Officer in relation to expenditure.