Conclusions and recommendations
Election of the Speaker
Nominations
1. We recommend that the Standing Order be changed to allow the names of sponsors in future contests to be published.
(Paragraph 15)
2. In making the above recommendation, we stress that we do not believe that the names of any sponsors in the June 2009 election which candidates have not consented to release should be published retrospectively since to do so would go against the decision of the House in 2001 and be contrary to natural justice in regard of the basis on which sponsors lent their support.
(Paragraph 16)
3. We recommend that
the minimum number of sponsors required be increased from 12 to
15 and that this number should be the maximum permitted. (Paragraph
17)
Hustings
4. We welcome the part played by outside organisations such as the Hansard Society in organising hustings for the election of the Speaker and believe that this is a role best filled by these bodies, rather than by the House itself.
(Paragraph 19)
5. One exception to that rule is the position when electing a Speaker at short notice or indeed immediately after a General Election. In such circumstances, the need to elect a Speaker before the House can proceed to other business makes the time available for hustings and campaigning, or indeed gathering nominations, very tight. We consider that at such times Members and others should accept that the formal address to the House is the only appropriate time and place for each candidate to make his or her pitch for support.
(Paragraph 20)
Timing of candidates' speeches
6. We recommend that the notification process followed, and the guidelines adopted, in June 2009 with regard to order and length of speeches be used as the pattern in future. We see no reason why this information should be secret, and we recommend the publication by the House of the guidance to candidates.
(Paragraph 23)
Voting procedure
7. We conclude that the use of a secret ballot has been a success and that the House's decision in 2001 should be maintained in all future elections.
(Paragraph 24)
8. We conclude that
neither the names of those participating in each round of voting
nor those voting for each candidate should be published either
in future contests or for 2009. (Paragraph 25)
9. As with the FoI request for the 2009 list of sponsors, we consider that it would be wholly unacceptable to release the names of those who participated in 2009 since those voting did so in the belief that their names would not be revealed.
(Paragraph 26)
10. The current electoral
system remains the best option for the purpose of electing the
Speaker. (Paragraph 27)
Practicalities
11. We
recommend that Standing Order No. 1B be amended to allow 20 minutes,
rather than 30 minutes, for voting in each round. (Paragraph 28)
12. We can see no reason why prayers should not be read in the usual way. This would enable the sitting to open with a due sense of decorum and would also enable prayer cards to be used to allow Members to reserve places. We recommend that this be done in future.
(Paragraph 31)
Election of the Speaker: Conclusion
13. We are satisfied that the system devised by our predecessors has withstood its first test in enabling the House to reach a decision in a fair and transparent way and that the procedure will continue to enjoy the confidence of Members. We are sure that the House will welcome this conclusion. Whilst it is right to reflect on experience, we believe that procedures adopted by the House, especially for such a serious purpose, should not be altered lightly and there is great benefit in continuity and consistency.
(Paragraph 32)
14. It is clear from the smooth running of events on the day that a great deal of work had been put into preparing for these elections behind the scenes, and we congratulate all those involved on their success in foreseeing and forestalling difficulties.
(Paragraph 33)
Election of the Deputy Speakers
Principles
15. The
existing convention of drawing the four occupants of the Chair
equally from the Government and opposition sides of the House
should be maintained. (Paragraph 36)
16. Where the Government
side holds the Speakership, then the Deputy Speakerships are divided:
opposition/Government/opposition. Likewise, where the Speaker
is drawn from the opposition, the pattern is Government/opposition/Government.
(Paragraph 36)
17. We consider that
the party balance should be defined for the purpose of electing
the Deputy Speakers as two Members from the Government side of
the House and two from the opposition across the panel of Speaker
and Deputies, regardless of the exact party proportions in the
House. Opposition should be defined as not belonging to the governing
party, thus including independents and all other parties. (Paragraph
37)
The case for a fourth Deputy Speaker
18. We recommend that our successor Committee in the next Parliament address the question of the role of the Deputy Speakers and how it has changed in the light of what emerges from the proposals for reform and whether an additional post is then required as a result.
(Paragraph 43)
Gender weighting
19. We recommend that the rules for the election of the Deputy Speakers stipulate that at least one man and at least one woman be elected to the team formed by the Speaker and Deputy Speakers.
(Paragraph 44)
Nomination procedures
20. We
recommend that there be a minimum number of sponsors required
and that only that number be published, regardless of the level
of support beyond that threshold. We consider that an appropriate rule would be that a candidate's nomination should be supported by a minimum of six and a maximum of ten Members of the House. Members should be able to sign no more than three nomination papers, reflecting the number of posts to be filled, and the names of the sponsors should be published.
(Paragraph 47)
21. We recommend that
each candidate be permitted to submit along with their nomination
form a brief statement of no more than 500 words which could be
incorporated into a single booklet, accompanied by their photographs,
and made available to Members from the Vote Office. (Paragraph
57)
Hustings
22. Although candidates for the post of Deputy Speaker may wish to circulate or publish their CVs, there is no place for candidates for these posts to issue manifestos or to be questioned upon what they would do if elected. We would strongly deprecate any attempt by outside organisations to encourage candidates to participate in hustings or to set out their stalls in this way.
(Paragraph 48)
Electoral system
23. We recommend that the House adopt STV for the purposes of electing the Deputy Speakers, with constraints that of those elected two candidates must come from the opposite side of the House to that from which the Speaker was drawn and one from the same side, and that at least one man and at least one woman must be elected across the four posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker combined.
(Paragraph 54)
Procedure
24. There may be questions about the propriety of the ballot taking Members away from the Chamber during certain business. To resolve this, and in the interests of devising a system which will withstand different scenarios, we recommend that the Speaker be given power to name the date of the election of the Deputy Speakers and the time of the ballot.
(Paragraph 56)
25. A minimum of two days should be sufficient between the notification that there will be an election and the ballot itself.
(Paragraph 49)
26. Our recommended timetable is that each candidate hand their nomination paper to the Clerk of the House in the Table Office between 10.00 am and 5.00pm on the day before that nominated by the Speaker for the election.
(Paragraph 58)
27. A list should be made available in the Vote Office, on the internet and emailed to all Members as soon as possible after the deadline of all those candidates with valid nominations.
(Paragraph 58)
28. We recommend that
the ballot be opened at 11am and closed at 12pm, subject to the
power of the Speaker to alter these timings in accordance with
the business on the Floor. Voting should take place in a room
appointed by the Speaker, supervised by clerks. The ballots will
then be counted and the result announced by the Speaker on the
Floor. Similar arrangements to those made for proxy voting in
the election for the Speakership should be allowed to enable voting
by Members who are present in the House but not physically able
to access the voting room. (Paragraph 59)
29. We recommend that
the Standing Orders governing the election of the Deputy Speakers
provide for the Speaker to declare the result of the ballot and
direct that an entry be made in the Journal that the successful
candidates have been duly elected. The Chairman and Deputies should
then take up office the following day. (Paragraph 60)
By-elections
30. Where a vacancy exists for Chairman of Ways and Means and one of the Deputies is eligible for the post, we believe that the rules should enable the Deputies to stand in the by-election without losing their current position. If that Deputy were successful, the next best placed candidate in the ballot who fulfilled the necessary criteria would fill the vacancy thus created by the Deputy.
(Paragraph 61)
Timing of elections
31. We
recommend that the Deputy Speakers be elected at the beginning
of a Parliament to serve for the duration of that Parliament.
This will also serve as an important opportunity to redress the
party balance on the panel which may have been affected by a change
in Speaker during the last Parliament. (Paragraph 64)
Re-election of the Speaker after a General Election
32. We recognise that the circumstances at the start of the forthcoming Parliament, with the current Speaker having been elected less than a year earlier, make it inadvisable to suggest radical change at this time. We also believe that the role of Speaker has changed and will change even more in the future, as acknowledged by the development of manifestos from candidates in the last election. These factors together lead us to recommend that a review be carried out in the next Parliament of all these issues with a view to establishing whether radical change is needed for implementation at the opening of the Parliament after that.
(Paragraph 77)
33. For now, we recommend that this House be given an opportunity to decide between the options of retaining the current procedure for re-electing a former Speaker at the start of a new Parliament or of adopting a secret ballot for deciding this question, rather than a division.
(Paragraph 78)
Re-election of the Deputy Speaker after a General
Election
34. We
recommend that the elections for Deputy Speaker should be held
afresh at the start of each Parliament, regardless of whether
candidates have previously held the posts (Paragraph 79)
Impact of change of Speaker upon the Deputy Speakers
35. The term of office of the Deputy Speakers should run independently of that of the Speaker and a change in the Speaker should not in itself necessitate a change in the Deputy Speakers.
(Paragraph 80)
36. We recommend that where the balance on the panel is altered by the election of a Speaker from the opposite side of the House to his predecessor and a by-election amongst the Deputy Speakers is necessary, the election be held amongst candidates of the relevant party to restore the party balance but that there be no redistribution of posts amongst the Deputy Speakers. As we have stated earlier, where the party balance is altered but there is no vacancy, as was the case in 2009, no by-election is called for.
(Paragraph 82)
Timetable of elections at the start of a new Parliament
37. Under our proposed arrangements, the day of the Queen's Speech would be the first opportunity for the Speaker to announce to the House the arrangements for the election of the Deputy Speakers. We believe that this would be in keeping with the significance of the posts and recommend that this be done.
(Paragraph 86)
38. We recommend that where they are still Members of the House after an Election, the outgoing Deputy Speakers should take the Chair for the duration of the contest to elect permanent Deputy Speakers after a General Election. Where necessary, the three longest serving members of the Chairmen's Panel in the last Parliament who have been returned to the House should be given temporary powers as Deputy Speakers to fill any gaps in the rota. Due to the short timescale involved, we do not envisage these temporary Deputy Speakers receiving any extra remuneration for their work.
(Paragraph 88)
Conclusion
39. We invite the House to accept our recommendations in order that the necessary arrangements might be made by the House authorities to ensure that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elections of 2010 are as successful as the election held in 2009.
(Paragraph 90)
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