Letter to the Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs from the Chairman of the Committee
The Foreign Affairs Committee has discussed
the recently announced appointment of Baroness Amos as the next
High Commissioner to Australia.
As you will recall, in its recent Report on The
FCO Annual Report 2007-08, the Committee commented on the
proposal to appoint the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP as High Commissioner
to Malawi. It concluded that:
It is right that questions should be asked when
a politician is appointed to a senior diplomatic post. [...] Such
appointments should continue to be made only in exceptional circumstances,
and [...] they should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. (Second
Report of 2008-09, HC 195, para 166)
In accord with its decision to conduct "pre-appointment
hearings" with all major appointments of non-diplomats to
diplomatic posts, the Committee has written to Baroness Amos to
request her to give oral evidence to it. As her appointment is
due to commence in October, the Committee suggests that the most
suitable time for a hearing would be in September.
The Committee also takes the view that it would
be inappropriate for the appointment to proceed until this evidence
session has been held, and I was instructed to write to you to
convey this view.
I should add that the Committee will shortly
be requesting written evidence on this matter both from the FCO
and from Baroness Amos.
10 July 2009
| 
