Special Report
1. Following the election of the Chair on 9 June,
the remaining members of the Committee for the new Parliament
were nominated by the House on 12 July.
2. We have identified two standing order constraints
and are proposing that these should be remedied without delay.
A draft Motion for this purpose has been drawn up and is annexed
to this report.
3. The first proposed change relates to our present
inability to sit when the House is adjourned. This power, which
is available to other select committees,[1]
has meant that we have had to rearrange, at short notice, a session
of evidence scheduled originally for Wednesday 28 July which has
subsequently turned out to be after the House rises. This proposed
change would be entirely appropriate and give us the flexibility
available to other select committees of the House.
4. The second proposed change also relates to a power
available to other select committees but not to this committee,
namely, the power to appoint Specialist Advisors.
5. This committee has drawn for many years upon the
value for money reports published by the Comptroller & Auditor
General (C&AG) in devising its schedule of work. Indeed, the
C&AG is required to take account of the views of this committee.[2]
We envisage continuing to work closely with the C&AG and his
staff.
6. This new Parliament has provided an opportunity
for change and renewal across the House and we, too, wish to consider
innovative approaches to our tasks. We may, for example, wish
to take evidence on matters within the terms of our Standing Orders
but which are apart from the C&AG's value for money reports.
To that end, it will be essential to be able to draw on independent
technical advice available through one or more Specialist Advisers.
7. The Chair of the Committee proposes to write to
Natascha Engel MP, Chair of the Backbench Business Committee,
explaining the position of the committee on these two matters
and seeking time on the floor of the House for approval of the
proposed Standing Order changes as a matter of priority in the
Autumn.
1 For the Departmental select committees this power
is contained in Standing Order No. 152(4) Back
2
National Audit Act 1983, Section 1(3) Back
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