Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence


APPENDIX 19

Letter from Mr Mark Fisher MP and the Rt Hon Sir George Young MP to the Chairman of the Committee

MODERNISATION AND SELECT COMMITTEES

  Further to your answers at last week's business question, we write to reiterate the two fundamental characteristics that we feel any new system of selecting the Select Committees should have:

Independence

  From pressure or influence by Government and the Whips of any political party. We were pleased that you seemed to indicate your agreement with this last week.

Transparency

  We were somewhat concerned that you appeared to be sceptical or unenthusiastic about the idea of publishing the names of all who applied. Since these are public positions, it is hard to see why an applicant would object to publication. It would not be difficult to issue lists of applicants and it would offer a simple but effective way of demonstrating that no outstanding applicants have been ignored.

24 October 2001


 
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