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Letter to Rt Hon The Baroness
Amos from the Chairman of the Committee: Appointment as the next High
Commissioner to
I
am writing at the request of the Foreign Affairs Committee to
In
2008 the Committee took oral evidence from the Rt Hon
Jack McConnell MSP in advance of his anticipated appointment as High
Commissioner to
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 therefore requests that you should give oral evidence to it.
As the appointment is due to commence in October, the Committee suggests that the most suitable time for a hearing would be on a mutually convenient date in September (before the start of the party conferences). 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 shall be writing to the Foreign Secretary to convey this view.
I should add that the Committee will shortly be in touch again with a series of written questions to which it would be grateful to receive answers before the hearing; and it will also be requesting a written memorandum from the FCO.
10 July 2009
Letter
to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from the
Chairman of the Committee: Appointment of High Commissioner to
The
Foreign Affairs Committee has discussed the recently announced appointment of
Baroness Amos as the next High Commissioner to
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
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 |