The Committee on Standards and Privileges
The Committee on Standards and Privileges is appointed
by the House of Commons to consider specific matters relating
to privileges referred to it by the House; to oversee the work
of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards; to examine the
arrangements proposed by the Commissioner for the compilation,
maintenance and accessibility of the Register of Members' Interests
and any other registers of interest established by the House;
to review from time to time the form and content of those registers;
to consider any specific complaints made in relation to the registering
or declaring of interests referred to it by the Commissioner;
to consider any matter relating to the conduct of Members, including
specific complaints in relation to alleged breaches in any code
of conduct to which the House has agreed and which have been drawn
to the Committee's attention by the Commissioner; and to recommend
any modifications to such code of conduct as may from time to
time appear to be necessary. The constitution and powers of the
Committee are set out in Standing Order No. 149.
The Committee consists of eleven Members, of whom
the quorum for any formal proceedings is five. The members of
the Committee are appointed by the House and unless discharged
remain on the Committee until the next dissolution of Parliament.
The present membership of the Committee is as follows:
| Tony Baldry MP[1]
| (Conservative, Banbury)
|
| Peter Bottomley MP[1] |
(Conservative, Worthing West)
|
| Mr Russell Brown MP[1]
| (Labour, Dumfries)
|
| Mr David Chidgey MP[1]
| (Liberal Democrat, Eastleigh)
|
| Ross Cranston QC MP[1]
| (Labour, Dudley North)
|
| Mr Andrew Dismore MP[1]
| (Labour, Hendon)
|
| Mr Michael Jabez Foster DL MP[1]
| (Labour, Hastings and Rye)
|
| Mr Tom Levitt MP[1] |
(Labour, High Peak) |
| Mr Kevin McNamara MP[1]
| (Labour, Hull North)
|
| Rt Hon Alan Williams MP[1]
| (Labour, Swansea West)
|
| Rt Hon Sir George Young Bt MP[1]
| (Conservative, North West Hampshire)
|
On 18 July 2001 the Committee elected Sir George
Young as its Chairman.
The Committee has the power to require the submission
of written evidence and documents, to examine witnesses and to
make Reports to the House.
The Committee may meet at any time (except when Parliament
is prorogued or dissolved) and at any place within the United
Kingdom. The Committee has power to order the attendance of any
Member of Parliament before the committee and to require that
specific documents or records in the possession of a Member relating
to its inquiries, or to the inquiries of the Commissioner, be
laid before the Committee. The Committee has power to refuse to
allow its public proceedings to be broadcast. The Law Officers,
if they are Members of Parliament, may attend and take part in
the Committee's meetings, but they cannot vote.
The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published
by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications
of the Committee are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/ commons/selcom/s&phome.htm.
All correspondence should be addressed to The Clerk
of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, Committee Office,
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general
inquiries is 020 7219 6615.
1 Appointed on 16 July 2001. Back
|
