Weekly Information Bulletin: 24th October 2009
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 announcements and changes:
Committee on Standards and Privileges:
Chairmen: Mr David Curry
Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons
Sir George Young discharged; Mr Peter Atkinson added
Select Committee Meetings
12 - 16 October 2009
Monday 19 October
West Midlands Regional Committee
Subject: The effects of the economic downturn on the people of the West Midlands
Witnesses: Mick Laverty, Chief Executive, Advantage West Midlands, and Margaret Tovey, Customer Services Director, Jobcentre Plus; Trudi Elliot, Director, Government Office for the West Midlands.
Committee on Issue of Privilege (Police Searches on Parliamentary Estate)
Witnesses: Damian Green MP.
Public Accounts
Subject: The failure of Metronet
Witnesses: Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary, and Paul Collins, Head of Regional Transport London and South East, Department for Transport, and Chris Bolt, Arbiter for London Underground Public-Private Partnership agreements.
Communities and Local Government
Subject: Departmental Annual Report 2009
Witnesses: Officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Tuesday 20 October
Treasury
Subject: Women in the City
Witnesses: Trevor Phillips OBE, Chairman, and Baroness Prosser OBE, Deputy Chairman, Equality and Human Rights Commission; Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP, Exchequer Secretary, HM Treasury, and Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP, Minister for Women and Equality.
Environmental Audit
Subject: Green Jobs and Skills
Witnesses: Tim Balcon, Chief Executive, Energy and Utility Skills; Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs, and Richard Diment, Director General, Federation of Master Builders.
Home Affairs
Subject: The Cocaine Trade
Witnesses: Steve Rolles, Transform, and Professor McKeganey, Centre for Drug Misuse Research, Glasgow University; Mitch Winehouse, and Sarah Graham.
Defence
Subject: The contribution of ISTAR to operations
Witnesses: Thales UK, Intellect, and General Dynamics; Brigadier Gordon Messenger DSO OBE, Commander, 3rd Commando Brigade Royal Marines, Air Commodore Stuart Atha DSO ADC, UK Air Component Commander, and Lt Col Andrew McInerney, Command Support Group, 3rd Commando Brigade Royal Marines, Ministry of Defence.
International Development
Subject: DFID's programme in Bangladesh
Witnesses: Dr Naomi Hossain, Institute of Development Studies, and Professor David Hulme, Brooks World Poverty Institute; Women and Children First, Christian Aid and Professor Anthony Costello, Director of the Centre for International Health and Development, University College London.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Subject: Exporting out of recession
Witnesses: Adam Marshall, Director of Policy, British Chambers of Commerce, Mike Josypenko, Chairman, Sponsors' Alliance Andy Scott, Director of International and UK Operations, CBI, Gary Campkin, Head of International, CBI.
Speaker's Conference
Subject: Speaker's Conference (on Parliamentary Representation)
Witnesses: Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister and Leader, The Labour Party, Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Leader, The Conservative Party and Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Leader, The Liberal Democrats.
Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: Department for Culture, Media and Sport Annual Report 2009 and Responsibilities of the Secretary of State
Witnesses: Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP, Secretary of State and Jonathan Stephens, Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Public Accounts Commission
Subject: NAO's Strategy 2010-11 to 2012-13
Witnesses: Sir Andrew Likierman, Chairman, National Audit Office, and Amyas Morse, Comptroller and Auditor General.
Joint Committee on Human Rights
Subject: The work of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Witnesses: Professor Kay Hampton, Professor Francesca Klug OBE, Sir Bert Massie CBE, and Ben Summerskill OBE.
Wednesday 21 October
Energy and Climate Change
Subject: Low carbon technologies in a green economy
Witnesses: Professor Julia King, Aston University, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, and Stuart Hillmansen, University of Birmingham; UK Chamber of Shipping, and Sustainable Aviation.
Children, Schools and Families
Subject: (i) Public Expenditure (ii) 21st Century Schools White Paper
Witnesses: Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State, and David Bell, Permanent Secretary, Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Treasury Sub-Committee
Subject: Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's departments, 2008-09
Witnesses: Debt Management Office; National Savings and Investments; Royal Mint.
Foreign Affairs
Subject: Scrutiny of Diplomatic Appointment
Witnesses: Rt Hon Baroness Amos of Brondesbury.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject: Dairy Farmers of Britain
Witnesses: The Co-operative Group; Lord Grantchester, Chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Britain Board.
Public Accounts
Subject: Financial Management in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Witnesses: Sir Peter Ricketts KCB, Permanent Under Secretary, Mr Keith Luck, Director General of Finance and Mr Tim Gardner, Finance Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Thursday 22 October
International Development
Subject: HIV/AIDS: Progress on Implementation of DFID's HIV/AIDS Strategy
Witnesses: Interact Worldwide, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development; Mike Foster MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development.
Public Administration
Subject: Ministerial and other appointments from outside Parliament
Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Adonis, Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Professor Lord Darzi of Denham KBE, and Admiral The Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office.
Health
Subject: Commissioning
Witnesses: Professor Gwyn Bevan, LSE, and British Medical Association; Gary Bellfield, interim Director-General of Commissioning and Systems Management, Department of Health, David Stout, Primary Care Trust Network, NHS Confederation, and Mark Britnell.
Friday 23 October
None
Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
19 - 23 October 2009
Monday 26 October
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South West Regional
Subject: Transport in the South West
Witnesses: Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Institute of Directors, SW Stakeholders and Travel Watch Southwest, and Friends of the Earth; West of England Partnership, Plymouth City Council, UK Bus First, Campaign for Better Transport Bristol and Bath Travel to Work Area, Sustrans, and Dr Gabriel Scally, Regional Director for Public Health, South West Region, Department of Health (at 11.30am).
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10:30am
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Rosalind Franklin Room, At-Bristol, Anchor Rd, Bristol |
Work and Pensions
Subject: Decision-making and appeals in the benefits system
Witnesses: National Association of Welfare Rights Advisors, Citizens Advice, RNID, Age Concern / Help the Aged, and Mind.
| 4:15pm
| The Grimond Room, Portcullis House |
Public Accounts
Subject: A second progress report on administration of the Single Payment Scheme by the Rural Payments Agency
Witnesses: Dame Helen Ghosh DCB, Permanent Secretary, and Katrina Williams, Director General, Food and Farming, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Tony Cooper, Chief Executive, Rural Payments Agency.
| 4:30pm
| Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster |
Communities and Local Government
Subject: Beyond Decent Homes
Witnesses: Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, and Chartered Institute of Housing; Tenants and Residents Organisations of England, and National Organisation of Residents Associations (at 5.40pm).
| 5:10pm
| The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House |
Tuesday 27 October
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Treasury*
Subject: Credit searches
Witnesses: moneysupermarket.com, and moneysavingexpert.com; Equifax, Experian, British Banker's Association, Finance and Leasing Association, and Callcredit Information Group (at 10.30 am); Office of Fair Trading, and Office of the Information Commissioner (at 11.15am).
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9:45am
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The Grimond Room, Portcullis House |
Environmental Audit
Subject: Carbon Budgets
Witnesses: Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, Chairman, and David Kennedy, Chief Executive, Committee on Climate Change; Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP, Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (at 11.20am).
| 10:20am
| The Wilson Room, Portcullis House |
Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: The Future of Local and Regional Media
Witnesses: Local Government Association, Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council, and Stockport Council; Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive, RadioCentre, Travis Baxter, Managing Director, Bauer Radio, and Steve Fountain, Head of Radio, KM Group (at 11.15am).
| 10:30am
| The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House |
Home Affairs
Subject: The Cocaine Trade
Witnesses: Paul Hayes, Chief Executive, National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, and The Priory Hospital; Professor Nutt, Chair, Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (at 11.15am).
| 10:30am
| Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster |
Welsh Affairs*
Subject: Wales Office Annual Report
Witnesses: Rt Hon Peter Hain MP, Secretary of State, Wales Office
| 11:00am
| Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster |
Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject: Television Broadcasting in Northern Ireland
Witnesses: Peter Johnston, Director, BBC Northern Ireland, Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV and Stuart Cosgrove, Director of Nations and Regions, Channel 4; Denis Wolinski, Director, Ofcom Northern Ireland, and Stewart Purvis, Partner, Content and Standards, Ofcom (at 2.30pm); Séamus Dooley, Irish Secretary, and Dot Kirby, Chair of NI Broadcasting Branch, National Union of Journalists, and John McVay, Chief Executive, and Jannine Waddell, NI Representative, Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (at 3.00pm).
| 11:30am
| Senate Chamber, Northern Ireland Assembly, Parliament Buildings, Belfast |
Wednesday 28 October
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Energy and Climate Change*
Subject: Department of Energy and Climate Change Departmental Annual Report and Resource Accounts
Witnesses: Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP, Secretary of State, Moira Wallace OBE, Permanent Secretary, Phil Wynn Owen, Director General, National Climate Change and Consumer Support, Simon Virley, Acting Director General, Energy Markets Infrastructure, and Chris Hix, Head of Financial Accounting, Department of Energy and Climate Change.
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9:15am
|
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House |
Children, Schools and Families
Subject: Early years funding formula
Witnesses: Early Education, Federation of Small Businesses, National Day Nurseries Association, and Pre-School Learning Alliance.
| 9:30am
| The Wilson Room, Portcullis House |
Treasury Sub Committee
Subject: Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's departments, 2008-09
Witnesses: HM Revenue and Customs
| 2:30pm
| The Wilson Room, Portcullis House |
Transport
Subject: Priorities for investment in the railways
Witnesses: Transport for London, The Northern Way, and Passenger Transport Executives Group; Passenger Focus, and ASLEF (at 3.45pm).
| 2:45pm
| Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject: Dairy Farmers of Britain
Witnesses: Tesco; Michael Oakes, former Director of Dairy Farmers of Britain (at 3.15pm); Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (at 5.30 p.m.).
| 3:00pm
| The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House |
Public Accounts*
Subject: Department for Work and Pensions: Management of Benefit Overpayment Debt
Witnesses: Sir Leigh Lewis KCB, Permanent Secretary, John Codling, Finance Director General, and Carol Sheridan, Head of Debt Management, Department for Work and Pensions.
| 3:30pm
| Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster |
European Scrutiny
Subject: Scrutiny related issues and future developments in the European Union
Witnesses: Chris Bryant MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
| 4:30pm
| Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster |
Thursday 29 October
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Public Administration*
Subject: Work of the Cabinet Office in 2008-09
Witnesses: Sir Gus O'Donnell KCB, Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service.
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10:00am
|
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House |
Health
Subject: Social Care
Witnesses: David Behan, Director General of Social Care, John Bolton, Director of Strategic Finance in the Social Care Directorate, and Alexandra Norrish, Head of Social Care Strategy, Department of Health, and Jeff Jerome, National Director for Social Care Transformation.
| 10:30am
| The Wilson Room, Portcullis House |
Friday 30 October
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.
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