House of Commons
Session 2009 - 10
Publications on the internet
Weekly Information Bulletin
Weekly Information Bulletin: 16th January 2010

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:

Tax law Rewrite Bills (Joint Committee) - Mr Andrew Tyrie appointed Chairman


Select Committee Meetings

11 - 15 January 2010

Monday 11 January

Welsh Affairs
Subject: Wales and Whitehall
Witnesses: Sir Jon Shortridge KCB; Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM

Communities and Local Government
Subject: Preventing Violent Extremism
Witnesses: Local Government Association Group; Leicester City Council, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and Birmingham City Council; Association of Chief Police Officers, and Association of Police Authorities

Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills
Subject: Corporation Tax Bill and Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Bill
Witnesses: Robina Dyall, Director, Brian Jones, Team Leader, John Sellers CB, Head Drafter, and David Sewell, Drafter, HMRC Tax Law Rewrite Project, and Adam Broke, member, Consultative and Steering Committees

Public Accounts
Subject: Regenerating the English Coalfields
Witnesses: Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary, Sir Bob Kerslake, Chief Executive, Homes and Communities Agency, Richard McCarthy, Director General, Housing and Planning, and Steve Fothergill, Director, Industrial Communities Alliance, Department for Communities and Local Government


Tuesday 12 January

Treasury
Subject: Royal Bank of Scotland, Northern Rock, Lloyds Banking Group
Witnesses: Stephen Hester, Chief Executive, Royal Bank of Scotland; Gary Hoffman, Chief Executive, Northern Rock; Eric Daniels, Group Chief Executive, Lloyds Banking Group

Home Affairs
Subject: The Government's Approach to Crime Prevention
Witnesses: Louise Casey, Director General, Neighbourhood, Crime and Justice Group, Home Office; National Youth Agency, and User Voice; Justice Board

Scottish Affairs
Subject: Scotland and the UK: cooperation and communication between governments
Witnesses: Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP, First Minister of Scotland, and Sir John Elvidge KCB, Permanent Secretary, Scottish Executive; Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and Robert Gordon, Director General, Justice and Communities

International Development
Subject: DFID's Programme in Nepal
Witnesses: Merlin, VSO, and Professor Anthony Costello; Dr Mary Hobley, and Professor Mick Moore

Defence
Subject: Defence Equipment 2010
Witnesses: Bernard Gray, and LEK Consulting; Rt Hon Lord Drayson, Minister of State, and Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence

Business, Innovation and Skills
Subject: Company takeovers, mergers and acquisitions
Witnesses: Professor Christopher Bones, Henley Business School; Unite the Union ; Ian Lucas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Justice
Subject: Pre-appointment hearing: HM Chief Inspector, Crown Prosecution Service
Witnesses: Michael Fuller, Chief Constable of Kent Police (preferred candidate)


Wednesday 13 January

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy
Witnesses: Sustainable Development Commission; Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth, RSPB, and WWF

Science and Technology
Subject: Geoengineering
Witnesses: Dr Jason J Blackstock, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canada, Dr David Keith, Director, ISEEE Energy and Environmental Systems Group, and John Virgoe, expert in geoengineering governance (via video link); Sir David King, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and former Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Dr Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Senior Advisor of Environmental Law and Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme (via video link), and Dr Maarten van Aalst, Associate Director and Lead Climate Specialist at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre; Joan Ruddock MP, Minister of State, Professor David MacKay, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Energy and Climate Change, and Professor Nick Pidgeon on behalf of Research Councils UK

Work and Pensions
Subject: Local Housing Allowance
Witnesses: Shelter, Citizens Advice, and Mencap; National Landlords Association, British Property Federation, and Scottish Association of Landlords

Children, Schools and Families
Subject: Sure Start Children's Centres
Witnesses: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Royal College of General Practitioners, and Royal College of Midwives; Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, Department for Children, Schools and Families, and Liz Railton, Chief Executive, Together for Children

Scottish Affairs
Subject: (i) Banking in Scotland (ii) The Scotland Office White Paper and the recommendations of the Calman Commission
Witnesses: (i) Lord Myners CBE, Financial Services Secretary, HM Treasury (ii) Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Scotland

Transport
Subject: The Draft National Policy Statement for ports
Witnesses: Town and Country Planning Association, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and Planning and Environment Bar Association; Local Government Association, and Regional Development Agencies; County Surveyors' Society, Highways Agency, Network Rail, and Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs*
Subject: Defra's food strategy
Witnesses: Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy
Witnesses: Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and WWF

Public Accounts
Subject: Venture capital support to small businesses
Witnesses: Simon Fraser, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Rory Earley, Chief Executive, Capital for Enterprise Ltd


Thursday 14 January

Welsh Affairs
Subject: National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Education) Order 2010
Witnesses: Leighton Andrews Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Welsh Assembly Government; Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office

Public Administration
Subject: Government Communications
Witnesses: Matt Tee, Permanent Secretary, Government Communications, Cabinet Office

Health
Subject: Commissioning
Witnesses: Professor Andrew Street, Professor of Health Economics, University of York, and Dr Peter Brambleby, Director of Public Health, NHS North Yorkshire and York; Professor Rod Griffiths, Chair, National Specialised Commissioning Group, John Murray, Specialised Healthcare Alliance, Deborah Evans, Chief Executive, NHS Bristol, and Teresa Moss, Director, National Specialised Commissioning Team

Welsh Affairs
Subject: The National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Transport) Order 2010
Witnesses: Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Deputy First Minister for Wales and Minister for the Economy and Transport, Welsh Assembly Government; Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office


Friday 15 January

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.


Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
18 - 22 January 2010

Monday 18 January

Treasury
Subject: Presbyterian Mutual Society
Witnesses: Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, and Sammy Wilson MP MLA, Minister for Finance and Personnel (at 11.15 a.m.); Alban Maginness MLA, Chairperson, Paul Butler MLA, Deputy Chairperson, Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee, and Mark Durkan MP MLA (at 11.50 a.m.); Presbyterian Mutual Society (at 12.30 p.m.)

11:15am

Senate Chamber, Stormont

Communities and Local Government *
Subject: Preventing Violent Extremism
Witnesses: Project Safe Space Steering Group, UK Youth Parliament; Tackling Extremism Together Working Group on Regional and Local Strategies, and Institute of Race Relations (at 4.30 p.m.); Rt Hon John Denham MP, Secretary of State, and Shahid Malik MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, and Charles Farr, Director-General, Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, Home Office (at 5.00 p.m.)

4:10pm The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Committee on Issue of Privilege (Police Searches on Parliamentary Estate)*
Subject: Police searches on the Parliamentary Estate
Witnesses: Dr Malcolm Jack, Clerk of the House and Chief Executive, House of Commons; Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick QPM, Metropolitan Police Service (at 4.55 p.m.)

4:15pm The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Public Accounts
Subject: Enforcement of regulations on Commercial Vehicles
Witnesses: Mr Alastair Peoples, Chief Executive of the Vehicle Operator Services Agency, Mr Steve Gooding, Director General, Motoring and Freight Services and Mr Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport

4:30pm Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Children, Schools and Families*
Subject: Appointment of the Chief Regulator
Witnesses: Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State, and David Bell, Permanent Secretary, Department for Children, Schools and Families

5:00pm Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster


Tuesday 19 January

Treasury*
Subject: Financial institutions - Too important to fail
Witnesses: Professor Charles Goodhart, London School of Economics, Professor John Kay

9:45am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Environmental Audit
Subject: Adapting to Climate Change
Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chairman, and Dr Paul Leinster CBE, Chief Executive, Environment Agency; Professor Neil Adger, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia (at 11.10 a.m.)

10:20am The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Home Affairs
Subject: (i) The Government's Approach to Crime Prevention (ii) DNA Database
Witnesses: (i) Phil Wheatley CB, National Offender Management Service; Paul McDowell, Chief Executive, Nacro (at 11.00 a.m.); Pauline Bryant, Governor, Reading Young Offenders Institute (at 11.30 a.m.); (ii) Greg Hands MP (at 12.00 noon)

10:30am The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Welsh Affairs
Subject: Wales and Whitehall
Witnesses: Dr Jim Gallagher CB, Director General, Devolution, Ministry of Justice; Andrew Davies AM, National Assembly for Wales (at 11.15 a.m.)

10:30am Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
North East Regional Committee
Subject: The Steel Industry
Witnesses: Jon Bolton, Managing Director, Teesside Cast Products; Rt Hon Nicholas Brown MP, Minister for the North East, Vera Baird MP, Dan Monnery, Deputy Regional Director: Economy and Strategy, Government Office for the North East, and Brian Greenwood, Deputy Head, Manufacturing and Materials, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 4.45 p.m.)

3:45pm The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Justice
Subject: (i) Justice issues in Europe (ii) Scrutiny of the Draft Civil Law Reform Bill
Witnesses: (i) Juliet Lodge, Director, Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence, University of Leeds, and James Michael, Privacy Laws and Business (ii) Bar Council, Law Society, and Law Society Civil Justice Committee (at 5.00 p.m.)

4:15pm The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Business, Innovation and Skills*
Subject: The work of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

4:30pm The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
East Midlands Regional Committee
Subject: Share of funding in the East Midlands
Witnesses: Jeff Moore, Chief Executive, and Steve Harley, Head of Spatial Development, East Midlands Development Agency; Phil Hope MP, Minister for the East Midlands, and Stephen Hillier, Regional Director, Government Office for the East Midlands (at 6.00 p.m.)

5:15pm Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster


Wednesday 20 January

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy
Witnesses: Renewable Energy Association, and British Wind Energy Association; Energy Networks Association, and National Grid (at 10.15 a.m.)

9:15am

Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Science and Technology
Subject: Evidence check: Homeopathy
Witnesses: Professor Lisa Jardine, Chair, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; Dr Paul Logan, Head of Policy, Hazardous Installations Directorate, Health and Safety Executive; Professor Chris Pollock CBE, Honorary Professor, University of Aberystwyth; and Dr Martyn Ward, Head, Clinical Trials Unit, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

9:30am The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Children, Schools and Families
Subject: Ofsted Inspection of Children's Services
Witnesses: Dame Denise Platt DBE, Audit Commissioner; Kim Bromley-Derry, President, Association of Directors of Children's Services, Tony Howell, Director of Children's Services, Birmingham City Council, Nick Jarman, Director of Children's Services, Doncaster Council, and Shireen Ritchie, Chair, Children and Young People Board, Local Government Association (at 10.30 a.m.)

9:45am The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Sub Committee
Subject: The National Forest
Witnesses: Richard Beldon, Emma Flatt, Louise Adams, and Robin Neilson; The National Forest Company and South Derbyshire District Council (at 2.45 p.m.)

2:00pm Rosliston Forestry Centre, near Swadlincote, Derbyshire

Transport
Subject: The draft National Policy Statement for ports
Witnesses: British Ports Association, UK Major Ports Group, Associated British Ports, Peel Ports, and Hutchinson Ports (UK) Ltd; Chamber of Shipping, Freight Transport Association, CBI, and Rail Freight Group (at 3.45 p.m.); Environment Agency, Greenpeace, and RSPB (at 4.30 p.m.)

2:45pm Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject: Forensic Science in Northern Ireland
Witnesses: Stan Brown, Chief Executive, Peter Connon, Acting Finance Director, and Clare Dornan, Aide to Chief Executive, Forensic Science for Northern Ireland; Brian Grzymek, Northern Ireland Office (at 4.00 p.m.)

3:00pm The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Energy and Climate Change
Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy
Witnesses: Nuclear Industry Association, and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; Dieter Helm (at 4.05 p.m.)

3:05pm The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Public Accounts
Subject: HMRC: Progress on the STEPS contract
Witnesses: Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue and Customs, and Nick Friedlos, Chief Executive, Mapeley Estates Ltd

3:30pm Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster


Thursday 21 January

Public Administration
Subject: Public Administration and the Fiscal Squeeze
Witnesses: Steve Bundred, Chief Executive, Audit Commission and Amyas Morse, Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office

10:00am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Health
Subject: Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2009
Witnesses: Sir Hugh Taylor KCB, Permanent Secretary, Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, NHS Chief Executive, Richard Douglas CB, Director General, Finance and Chief Operating Officer, and David Flory, Director General, NHS Finance, Performance and Operations, Department of Health

10:00am The Wilson Room, Portcullis House


Friday 22 January

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.

 
House of Commons home page Houses of Parliament home page House of Lords home page Contents Search Enquiries Order Index

© Parliamentary copyright 2010
Prepared 16 January 2010