Sessional Returns Session 1998-99 - Contents


10. SELECT COMMITTEES

29. Public Administration

The Committee was nominated on 16 July 1997.
It had 11 Members and held 36 meetings.



Members
Meetings
attended

Morgan, Mr Rhodri (Chairman) (discharged, 10.6.99)
14
Wright, Dr Tony (added, 10.6.99) (Chairman from 15.6.99)
19
Bradley, Mr Peter
32
Browne, Mr Desmond (added, 10.6.99)
19
Campbell, Mr Ronnie
20
Clark, Dr Lynda (discharged, 10.6.99)
11
Hancock, Mr Mike (discharged, 5.5.99)
6
Jones, Ms Helen
24
Kemp, Mr Fraser (discharged, 10.6.99)
8
Moran, Ms Margaret
21
Oaten, Mr Mark (added, 5.5.99)
9
Ruffley, Mr David (discharged, 2.7.99)
1
Soames, Mr Nicholas (added, 2.7.99)
4
Shepherd, Mr Richard
25
Tyrie, Mr Andrew
7
White, Mr Brian (added, 10.6.99)
18

Overall attendance:
60.1 %
Number of Members added:
5
Number of Members discharged:
5
Turnover of membership during the Session:
45 %

Staff
Committee Clerk: Dr Paul Seaward, Deputy Principal Clerk (Senior Structure Band 2).
Committee Assistant: Mrs Pamela Fisher, Higher Executive Officer (Band B2).
Secretary: Miss Julie Storey, Secretary (Band D1).

Specialist Advisers during the Session
Professor Patrick Birkinshaw and Professor Robert Hazell.

Witnesses
Oral evidence was given during the Session by the following categories of witnesses:
    Number of appearances by:
        Cabinet Ministers 3
        Other Ministers 4
    Number of appearances by officials from, or representatives of:
        Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 2
        Department of Health 3
        Department of Trade and Industry 2
        Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1
        Home Office 4
        Scottish Office 3
        Welsh Office 3
        executive agencies 4
        comprising: Public Record Office 2
        Environment Agency 2
        public bodies and non-Ministerial departments 19
        comprising: Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes 4
        Castle Vale Housing Action Trust 1
        Crown Prosecution Service 1
        Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust 3
        Further Education Funding Council 2
        Housing Corporation (of which 1 was by a member of the House of Lords) 2
        Health and Safety Executive 2
        Office of the Data Protection Registrar 3
        Serious Fraud Office 1
        Wigan and Bolton Health Authority 1
    Members of Parliament 1
    Appearances by other witnesses 52
    
    The following officials also attended meetings of the Committee:
        Mr Michael Buckley, Parliamentary Ombudsman and Health Service Ombudsman 7
        Miss Isabel Nisbet, Deputy Health Service Ombudsman 6
        Mr John Avery, Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman 1
        Mr Alan Watson, Director of Investigations, Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for
        Administration 1
        Mr George Keil, Manager for the Ombudsman's Office in Scotland 1
        Home Office Freedom of Information Unit 22

Overseas Visits

DateDestination MembersStaff PurposeCost
1-5.3.98Washington
8
2
Inquiry into the Accountability of Public Bodies
£41,182.81


UK Visits

Date
Destination
Members
Staff
Purpose
Cost
14-15.12.98
Edinburgh
6
3*
Evidence on the Annual Report of the Health Service Ombudsman for 1997-98; and inquiry into the Accountability of Public Bodies
£3,672.94
15-16.2.99
Birmingham
4
1
Briefings on the Accountability of Public Bodies
£1,026.44

* Includes 1 shorthand writer.

Reports and Minutes of Evidence  

Title
HC No.
(1998-99)
Date of
publication
No. of
pages
Sale price
Government
reply
First Report: Report of the Parliamentary Ombudsman for1997-98
136
30.3.99
66
£12.50
Received 8.7.99: published as Fourth Special Report, Session 1998-99
Second Report: Annual Report of the Health Service Ombudsman for 1997-98
54
11.5.99
148
£18
Received 5.8.99: published as Third Special Report, Session 1998-99
Third Report: Freedom of Information draft Bill
570-I
29.7.99
143
£15.90
Received 21.10.99: published as Fifth Special Report, Session 1998-99
Minutes of Evidence: Freedom of Information draft Bill
570-i-xiii
16.8.99
212
£61.30
Not applicable
Memoranda of Evidence: Freedom of Information draft Bill
570-II
16.8.99
149
£17
Not applicable
Fourth Report: Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions
821
10.11.99
50
£9.70
Not applicable
Fifth Report: Freedom of Information Draft Bill: The Committee's Response to the Home Office Reply
925
11.11.99
15
£4.30
Reply awaited
Sixth Report: Quangos
209-I
24.11.99
198
£22
Reply awaited
Memoranda of Evidence: Quangos
209-II
24.11.99
223
£20.50
Not applicable
First Special Report: Government Response to the Fifth Report (Session 1997-98) on the Report of the Northern Ireland Ombudsman for 1997
53
11.12.98
6
£2.25
Not applicable
Second Special Report: Government Response to the Sixth Report (Session 1997-98) on the Government Information and Communication Service
162
22.1.99
9
£3.40
Not applicable
Third Special Report: Government Response to the Second Report (Session 1998-99)
816
25.10.99
9
£3.40
Not applicable
Fourth Special Report: Government Response to the First Report(Session 1998-99)
817
25.10.99
11
£3.40
Not applicable
Fifth Special Report: Government Response to the Third Report (Session 1997-98)
831
27.10.99
17
£4.75
Not applicable


Minutes of Proceedings
The Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee for Session 1997-98 were published on 3.2.99 as HC 1174, Session 1997-98. The Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee for Session 1998-99 will be published as HC 913, Session 1998-99.

Divisions

Date
Subject
28.7.99Three, on amendments proposed to Chairman's draft Report on Freedom of Information draft Bill.

Debates
The following Reports were referred to on the Order Paper as being relevant to a debate in the House on an Estimates Day, 19.10.99:

    First Report, Session 1998-99, Report of the Parliamentary Ombudsman for 1997-98 (HC 136);

    Second Report, Session 1998-99, Annual Report of the Health Service Ombudsman for 1997-98 (HC 54);

    Second Report, Session 1997-98, Report of the Health Service Ombudsman for 1996-97 (HC 352), and the Government's response thereto (HC 1055 of Session 1997-98).

Evidence
Oral evidence was taken at 28 of the Committee's 36 meetings. On none of these occasions was evidence taken partly or wholly in private.

Inquiry
No. of oral evidence sessions
No. of memoranda received
No. of memoranda received from
No. of memoranda published
No. of memoranda made available in the Record Office for public use and placed in the Library
       Govt. Departments executive agencies public bodies     
Report of the Parliamentary Ombudsman for 1997-98
3
5
2
0
0
5
0
Annual Report of the Health Service Ombudsman for 1997-98
8
16
2
0
0
12
0
Freedom of Information draft Bill
13
81+
9
3
2
37
24
Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions
0
19
18
0
0
19
0
Freedom of Information draft Bill: The Committee's Response to the Home Office Reply
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Quangos
8
67
22
0
4
61
0
Total
32
188
53
3
6
134
24

+ The Committee also received copies of 89 papers submitted to the Home Office in response to the consultation process on the draft Freedom of Information Bill and 2,300 representations from individual supporters/members of one organisation


 
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Prepared 21 December 1999