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Committee of the whole House: 3 November 2009            

1478

 

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill, continued

 
 

(a)    

none of the following may be a member of the committee—

 

(i)    

the First Minister or any person designated to exercise

 

functions of the First Minister;

 

(ii)    

a Welsh Minister appointed under section 48;

 

(iii)    

the Counsel General or any person designated to

 

exercise the functions of the Counsel General;

 

(iv)    

a Deputy Welsh Minister;

 

(b)    

the committee must not be chaired by an Assembly member

 

who is a member of a political group with an executive role.”.’

 


 

Amendment of Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866

 

David Howarth

 

Mr David Heath

 

NC19

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866 is amended as follows.

 

(2)    

In section 13(1) after “applies”, insert “, subject to section 15A,”.

 

(3)    

In section 14 at the beginning insert “Subject to section 15A”.

 

(4)    

In section 15(1) after “applies”, insert “, subject to section 15A,”.

 

(5)    

After section 15 insert—

 

“15A  

Authorisation by relevant committee of the House of Commons

 

Notwithstanding any Act of Parliament or Resolution of the House of

 

Commons, the Auditor and Comptroller-General shall not grant any

 

credit to the Treasury under this Act unless he is satisfied that a relevant

 

committee of the House of Commons has examined and approved the

 

expenditure concerned for the relevant year,”’.

 


 

Purpose of Part 7

 

Kelvin Hopkins

 

NC41

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘The purpose of the following provisions is to further strengthen Parliamentary

 

control and supervision of the expenditure of public money, and for promoting

 

economy, efficiently, effectiveness and probity in the use of such money by

 

government departments and other authorities and organisations.’.

 



 
 

Committee of the whole House: 3 November 2009            

1479

 

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill, continued

 
 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

Mr David Gauke

 

59

 

Clause  51,  page  24,  line  45,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

After subsection 5(2) insert new subsection—

 

“(2A)    

The Treasury shall direct the government department to publish online

 

resource accounts containing the following information in respect of a

 

designated body under section (4A)—

 

(a)    

total annual expenditure;

 

(b)    

headcount including agency and part-time workers;

 

(c)    

costs per head of office space;

 

(d)    

expenditure on consultants; and

 

(e)    

such other relevant information as may from time to time be

 

required by Resolution of the House of Commons.”’.

 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

Mr David Gauke

 

88

 

Parliamentary Star    

Clause  51,  page  24,  line  45,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

After subsection 5(2) insert—

 

“(2A)    

The Treasury shall direct the government department to publish online

 

resource accounts which must contain the names and remuneration of all

 

employees earning more in the relevant year than the annual salary of the

 

Prime Minister.”’.

 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

Mr David Gauke

 

89

 

Parliamentary Star    

Clause  51,  page  24,  line  45,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

After subsection 5(2) insert—

 

“(2A)    

The Treasury shall publish online any existing online information system

 

used for recording details of all departmental expenditure.”’.

 



 
 

Committee of the whole House: 3 November 2009            

1480

 

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill, continued

 
 

New Clauses Relating to Part 8

 

Publicly funded bodies annual report

 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

NC34

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Minister for the Civil Service must publish and lay before Parliament an

 

annual report on publicly funded bodies.

 

(2)    

The Minister for the Civil Service may publish separate reports covering publicly

 

funded bodies that have a relationship with the Scottish Executive or the Welsh

 

Assembly. Before publishing these separate reports the Minister must consult the

 

First Minister for Scotland or the First Minister for Wales (as the case may be).

 

(3)    

Publicly funded bodies to be included in the annual report are those bodies subject

 

to the code of conduct for publicly funded bodies.

 

(4)    

Such a report must include but is not limited to—

 

(a)    

details of last five years of government funding;

 

(b)    

details of last five years of expenditure;

 

(c)    

details of staff numbers over the last five years;

 

(d)    

details of staff costs over the last five years.

 

(5)    

The First Minister for Scotland must lay before the Scottish Parliament any report

 

under subsection (2) that covers publicly funded bodies that have a relationship

 

with the Scottish Parliament.

 

(6)    

The First Minister for Wales must lay before the National Assembly for Wales

 

any report under subsection (2) that covers publicly funded bodies that have a

 

relationship with the National Assembly for Wales.’.

 


 

Transparency of government expenditure

 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

Mr David Gauke

 

NC35

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Minister for the Civil Service must publish and lay before Parliament a report

 

on central government expenditure.

 

(2)    

The Minister for the Civil Service may publish separate reports detailing central

 

government expenditure in Scotland and Wales. Before publishing these separate

 

reports the Minister must consult the First Minister for Scotland or the First

 

Minister for Wales (as the case may be).

 

(3)    

Such a report must include but is not limited to—

 

(a)    

the salaries of the 35,000 most senior civil servants;

 

(b)    

detailed organograms, job descriptions and staff numbers for all central

 

government departments, agencies and publicly funded bodies;


 
 

Committee of the whole House: 3 November 2009            

1481

 

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill, continued

 
 

(c)    

every item of central government expenditure over £25,000;

 

(d)    

government tender documents for contracts worth over £10,000.

 

(4)    

The information contained in such a report must also be concurrently published

 

in a publicly accessable format on the internet.

 

(5)    

The First Minister for Scotland must lay before the Scottish Parliament any report

 

under subsection (2) that covers publicly funded bodies that have a relationship

 

with the Scottish Parliament.

 

(6)    

The First Minister for Wales must lay before the National Assembly for Wales

 

any report under subsection (2) that covers publicly funded bodies that serve the

 

National Assembly for Wales.’.

 


 

Government financial information

 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

Mr David Gauke

 

NC39

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 is amended as follows.

 

(2)    

After subsection 5(2), insert new subsection—

 

“(2A)    

The Treasury shall direct the government department to publish online

 

resource accounts containing the following information in respect of that

 

department—

 

(a)    

total annual expenditure;

 

(b)    

headcount including agency and part-time workers;

 

(c)    

costs per head of office space;

 

(d)    

expenditure on consultants; and

 

(e)    

such other relevant information as may from time to time be

 

required by Resolution of the House of Commons.”’.

 


 

Government spending website

 

Mr Francis Maude

 

Mr Dominic Grieve

 

Mrs Eleanor Laing

 

Mr David Gauke

 

NC40

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 is amended as follows.

 

(2)    

After section 11 insert—


 
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