APPENDIX 5
Letter from Mr John Butterfill FRICS MP
to the Chairman of the Committee
I have seen a copy of Graham Allen's letter
to you of the 23 July and certainly agree with him that we need
to establish some independent form of appointment of members of
Select Committees. I very much agree with this as a general principle
but am not convinced of the merit of the method that he suggests.
Can I possibly suggest an alternative arrangement,
namely that a Committee of Selection be formed from senior members
of the Chairman's Panel? The advantage of this is that the Chairman's
Panel is comprised of senior Members of the House who have no
further personal political ambitions and are obliged by their
position to adopt a non partisan attitude. In addition, they are
accustomed to seeing Members of the House in a Committee situation
and have the opportunity of judging their relative strengths and
weaknesses. This is not a matter that I have raised with the Panel
but I am, as a matter of courtesy, sending a copy of this letter
to the Chairman of Ways and Means.
I hope that you (and he!) might consider that
this suggestion has some merit.
Mr John Butterfill
27 July 2001
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