Select Committees

Select Committees are set up to examine the work of Government Departments, and now constitute the main investigatory system by which the House overseas the exercise of Government responsibilities and the development of public policy and expenditure.

The following information on Select Committees is available on the Parliament website:

Select Committee membership: www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/selmem.cfm

Links to Select Committee home pages containing information on the work of the Select Committee and its publications: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/parliamentary_committees16.cfm

For further information on Select Committees see HCIO Factsheet P2 produced by the House of Commons Information Office, available in hardcopy on request or to download from the Parliament website.

Membership:

None

Select Committee Meetings
6 - 10 July 2009

Monday 6 July

Scottish Affairs
Subject: Commission on Scottish Devolution
Witnesses: Sir Kenneth Calman KCB, Chairman, Professor Jim Gallagher CB, Secretary, and Mr Paul Kett, Head of Secretariat, Commission on Scottish Devolution.

Yorkshire and the Humber
Subject: The Work of Yorkshire Forward
Witnesses: Federation of Small Businesses, Yorkshire and Humber Chambers of Commerce, Engineering Employers' Federation, and the CBI.

South East Regional
Subject: The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Regional Economic Strategy
Witnesses: Jonathan Shaw MP, Minister for the South East; Pam Alexander, Chief Executive, SEEDA, and Colin Byrne, Regional Director, Government Office for the South East.

Communities and Local Government
Subject: Supporting People
Witnesses: Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC); Ian Austin MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government.

Health
Subject: Appointment of the Chair of the Food Standards Agency
Witnesses: The Rt Hon Lord Rooker, nominee for Chair.

Tuesday 7 July

Regulatory Reform
Subject: Themes and Trends in Regulatory Reform
Witnesses: Ian Lucas MP, Minister with responsibility for Regulatory Reform, Jitinder Kohli, Director General of Strategy and Communications, and Philip Rycroft, Chief Executive, Better Regulation Executive, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Treasury
Subject: Mortgage arrears and access to mortgage finance
Witnesses: Jon Pain, Managing Director, Retail Markets, and Leslie Titcombe, Sector Leader, Retail Intermediaries and Mortgages, Financial Services Authority; Lord Myners CBE, Financial Services Secretary, HM Treasury, and Rt Hon John Healey MP, Minister for Housing, Department for Communities and Local Government. Speaker's Conference
Subject: Speaker's Conference (on Parliamentary Representation)
Witnesses: Lesbian and Gay Foundation, Mr Simon Fanshawe; Campaign for Gender Balance..

Environmental Audit
Subject: Green jobs and skills
Witnesses: Environmental Industries Commission; British Wind Energy Association, REpower UK Ltd and Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd.

International Development
Subject: DFID's Programme in Nigeria
Witnesses: Save the Children, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).

East Midlands Regional Committee
Subject: Regional Economic Strategy
Witnesses: East Midlands Development Agency.

Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: The Future of Local and Regional Media
Witnesses: Press Association; Newspaper Society.

Home Affairs
Subject: (i) The future of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) (ii) Missing unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
Witnesses: (i) Forensic Science Service (FSS); Representatives of Prospects and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) (at 11.00 a.m.) (ii) Hillingdon Borough Council.

Welsh Affairs
Subject: Ports in Wales
Witnesses: Association of Chief Police Officers Wales and UK Border Agency.

Defence
Subject: The Comprehensive Approach
Witnesses: Bill Rammell MP, Minister for the Armed Forces, and Brigadier Gordon Messenger DSO OBE ADC, Ministry of Defence, Michael Jabez Foster MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development, Rt Hon Lord Malloch-Brown KCMG, Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, and Nick Pickard, Head of the Security Policy Group, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Richard Teuten, Head of Stabilisation Unit.

Business and Enterprise
Subject: The work of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills in the current crisis
Witnesses: The Rt Hon Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, and Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Minister for Business, Innovation & Skills, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.

Joint Committee on Human Rights
Subject: Business and Human Rights
Witnesses: Equality and Human Rights Commission and Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Justice
Subject: Sentencing Guidelines: principles of sentencing for youths
Witnesses: Mary Duff, Chairman, and Chris Stanley, member, Youth Courts Committee, Magistrates' Association; Tim Bateman, Senior Youth Crime Policy Development Officer, Nacro, and Martin Narey, Chief Executive, and Pam Hibbert, Assistant Director-Policy, Barnardo's.

Wednesday 8 July

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: Low carbon technologies in a green economy
Witnesses: Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust; Energy Technology Institute.

Children, Schools and Families
Subject: School Accountability
Witnesses: Mr Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject: Omagh: 10 years on
Witnesses: Mr Jason McCue, Partner, H2O Law and Dame Nula O'Loan DBE.

Scottish Affairs
Subject: Scotland Office Departmental Annual Report
Witnesses: Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, Ann McKechin MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, and John Henderson, Deputy Director, Scotland Office.

Home Affairs

Subject: Work of the UK Border Agency

Witnesses: Lin Homer, Chief Executive, UK Border Agency

Treasury
Subject: Banking Crisis: regulation and supervision
Witnesses: Lord Myners CBE, Financial Services Secretary, HM Treasury

Transport
Subject: i) Future of Aviation ii) The major road network
Witnesses: (i) Eurostar, UK Ultraspeed, Network Rail, and High Speed Two (ii) Kapsch TrafficCom AG, Intelligent Transport Systems UK, Institution of Engineering and Technology, and Technical Advisors Group Transportation Committee; Liftshare, Campaign for Better Transport, and National Express UK.

Public Accounts
Subject: Support for High Intensity Operations
Witnesses: Sir Bill Jeffrey, Permanent Secretary KCB, Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach KCB CBE, Chief of Joint Operations PJHQ (UK), and Lieutenant General Dick Applegate OBE, Chief of Materiel (Land), Defence Equipment and Support, Ministry of Defence.

North West Regional Committee
Subject: The impact of the current economic situation on the North West and the Government's response
Witnesses: North West Regional Development Agency; Phil Woolas MP, Minister for the North West, and Liz Meek and David Higham, Government Office for the North West.

Thursday 9 July

Health
Subject: Alcohol
Witnesses: JWT, and Big Communications Group; Diageo, Carling, and Beverage Brands.

Public Administration
Subject: Official Language
Witnesses: David Crystal OBE, Honorary Professor of Linguistics, University of Bangor, Matthew Paris, The Times, Marie Clair, Plain English Campaign and Simon Hoggart, The Guardian.

Treasury Sub Committee
Subject: Evaluating the Efficiency Programme
Witnesses: Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Financial Secretary and Sarah McCarthy-Fry, Exchequer Secretary, HM Treasury.

Welsh Affairs
Subject: Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Health and Health Services and Social Welfare) Order 2009
Witnesses: College of Occupational Therapists and Hafal; Gofal Cymru and Mind Cymru.

Friday 10 July

None

Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
6 - 10 July 2009

Monday 13 July

Tuesday 14 July

Wednesday 15 July

Thursday 16 July

Friday 17 July

None

[The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice]

All public select committee meetings are webcast
Select committees marked with * will be taken by BBC Parliament
Recorded information about forthcoming select and standing committee meetings over the next two sitting days is available on:[Tel 020 7219 2033]. Please note: The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded, and the place altered without notice and Committees which sit at short notice may not be included in this list.