Session 2010-12
Publications on the internet
Weekly Information Bulletin

Weekly Information Bulletin: 18th December 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:

Select Committee Meetings

13 – 17 December 2010

Monday 13 December

Treasury
Subject: European Financial Regulation
Witnesses: Michael Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services

Committees on Arms Export Controls
Subject: Strategic Export Controls
Witnesses: Amnesty International UK, Oxfam GB, Saferworld; Export Group for Aerospace and Defence (EGAD) (at 5.00pm)

Back Bench Business
Subject: Proposals for backbench debates
Witnesses: Members of Parliament

Administration
Subject: Catering Services in the House of Commons
Witnesses: Hamish Cook, Chief Executive and Managing Directors’ Representative International, Spotless Group; Simon Dobson, Managing Director, Delaware North Companies UK (Ltd) at 5.30pm)

Justice
Subject: The work of the MoJ and its resources
Witnesses: Sir Suma Chakrabarti KCB, Permanent Secretary, Helen Edwards CBE, Director General Justice Policy Group, and Ann Beasley CBE, Director General Finance, Ministry of Justice

Tuesday 14 December

Education
Subject: The Spending Review settlement for the Department for Education and The Schools White Paper 2010
Witnesses: Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, and David Bell, The Permanent Secretary, Department for Education

Treasury
Subject: Competition and choice in the banking sector
Witnesses: Vernon Hill, Vice Chairman, Metro Bank

Transport
Subject: Transport and the economy
Witnesses: Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Minister of State, Department for Transport

Justice
Subject: Draft Sentencing Guidelines on Assault and the work of the council
Witnesses: Lord Justice Leveson, Chairman, Sentencing Council

Welsh Affairs
Subject: S4C
Witnesses: Rheon Tomos, Vice Chairman, and Arwell Ellis Owen, Acting Chief Executive, S4C

International Development
Subject: The Future of CDC
Witnesses: Richard Laing, CEO, Richard Gillingwater CBE, Chairman and Rod Evison, Managing Director, Africa, CDC plc

Public Accounts
Subject: Ofcom: the effectiveness of converged regulation
Witnesses: Ed Richards, Chief Executive, Ofcom

Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Witnesses: Lord Coe, Chairman, and Paul Deighton, Chief Executive, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympics Games, John Armitt CBE, Chairman, and David Higgins, Chief Executive, Olympic Delivery Authority; Tim Reddish OBE, Chairman, British Paralympic Association, and Lord Moynihan, Chairman, British Olympic Association (at 12 noon)

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: The Revised Draft National Policy Statements on Energy
Witnesses: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth; Nuclear Industry Association, Royal Town Planning Institute, Energy UK, Citibank and Renewable Energy Association (at 11.45am)

Home Affairs
Subject: (i)The Government’s review of counter-terrorism; (ii) The work of the Home Secretary
Witnesses: (i) Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, Independent overseer of the Review of Counter-Terrorism and Security Powers; (ii) Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary (at 12.40pm)

Joint Committee on Human Rights
Subject: Policing and Protest
Witnesses: National Campaign against Fees and Cuts and National Union of Students; Association of Chief Police Officers and Metropolitan Police Service (at 1.00pm)

Scottish Affairs
Subject: Postal Services in Scotland
Witnesses: Mutuo; Unite and Communication Workers Union (at 3.00pm)

Wednesday 15 December

Health
Subject: Commissioning
Witnesses: Rt Hon Andrew Lansley CBE MP, Secretary of State, Dame Barbara Hakin DBE, National Managing Director of Commissioning Development, and Dr David Colin-Thomé OBE, National Director for Primary Care, Department of Health

European Scrutiny
Subject: European Union Bill Inquiry
Witnesses: Sir John Grant KCMG, former UK Permanent Representative to the European Union

Education
Subject: Looked-after children
Witnesses: Jon Fayle, Chair, National Association of Independent Reviewing Officers, David Holmes, Chief Executive, British Association for Adoption and Fostering, Dr Roger Morgan OBE, Children’s Rights Director for England, and Maxine Wrigley, Chief Executive, A National Voice; Tim Loughton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State, Department for Education (at 10.30am)

Public Administration
Subject: Work of the First Civil Service Commissioner and Commissioner for Public Appointments
Witnesses: Rt Hon Dame Janet Paraskeva DBE, First Civil Service Commissioner, and Dame Janet Gaymer DBE QC, Commissioner for Public Appointments

Science and Technology
Subject: Technology Innovation Centres
Witnesses: Dr David Bembo, Member of Council, Association for University Research and Industry Links, Dr Tim Bradshaw, Head of Enterprise & Innovation, Confederation of British Industry, Professor Ric Parker FREng, Director of Research & Technology, Rolls-Royce Group, and Patrick Reeve, Chair of the BVCA Venture Capital Public Policy Committee, British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association

Justice
Subject: Access to Justice and Sentencing
Witnesses: Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice

Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2009-10
Witnesses: Mark Thompson, Director General, BBC, and Sir Michael Lyons, Chairman, BBC Trust

Defence
Subject: Operations in Afghanistan
Witnesses: Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for Defence

Scottish Affairs
Subject: Postal Services in Scotland
Witnesses: Royal Mail Group; Ofcom, Postcomm (at 3.30pm); Edward Davey MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 4.15pm)

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject: The use of cloned animals and their offspring in agriculture
Witnesses: Mr James Paice MP, Minister of State for Agriculture, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Rt Hon Lord Rooker, Chairman, Food Standards Agency

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: UN Climate Change Negotiations in Cancun
Witnesses: Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change

Public Accounts
Subject: Major Projects Report 2010
Witnesses: Ursula Brennan, Permanent Under-Secretary, General Kevin O’Donoghue, Chief of Defence Materiale, Vice Admiral Paul Lambert, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), and Andrew Tyler, Chief Operating Officer, Defence Equipment and Support, Ministry of Defence

Foreign Affairs
Subject: Role of the FCO in UK Government
Witnesses: Rt Hon David Miliband MP and Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, former Foreign Secretaries

Thursday 16 December

Political and Constitutional Reform
Subject: Prospects for codifying the relationship between central and local government
Witnesses: Bill Moyes, Institute for Government and Jessica Crowe, Centre for Public Scrutiny; Simon Parker, New Local Government Network, and Jessica Crowe, Centre for Public Scrutiny (at 10.30am); and Sir Simon Milton, Greater London Authority (at 11.00am)

Public Accounts
Subject: Procurement of the M25 private finance contract
Witnesses: Martin Capstick, Director, Strategic Roads and National Networks, Dept of Transport, Graham Dalton, Chief Executive, Highways Agency, Ginny Clarke, Chief Highways Engineer and Network Services Director

Friday 17 December

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
20 – 24 December 2010

Monday 20 December

Science and Technology
Subject: Technology Innovation Centres
Witnesses: Pam Alexander, Chief Executive, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Richard Brook OBE FREng, President, Association of Independent Research and Technology Organisations, Nigel Perry FREng, Chief Executive, Centre for Process Innovation, and Professor Keith Ridgway OBE FREng, Research Director, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

4:10pm

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Communities and Local Government
Subject: Localism

Witnesses: Mencap, Sitra, Age UK and The Runnymede Trust; Eugene Sullivan, Chief Executive and Peter Wilkinson, Managing Director for Policy, Research and Studies, Audit Commission, Steve Freer, Chief Executive, CIPFA, and Jessica Crowe, Executive Director, Centre for Public Scrutiny (at 5.00pm)

4:30pm

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Tuesday 21 December

Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Witnesses: Hugh Robertson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Sport and the Olympics), DCMS

10:45am

Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Home Affairs
Subject: (i) The Government’s Report of Counter-Terrorism (ii) The role of the Chief Scientific Advisor
Witnesses: (i) Lord Carlile; (ii) Bernard Silverman, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Home Office (at 12.30pm)

11:00am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Communities and Local Government
Subject: CSR outcome for Communities and Local Government
Witnesses: The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Minister for Housing and Local Government, Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister for Decentralisation, Department for Communities and Local Government

11:30am

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Wednesday 22 December

None

Thursday 23 December

None

Friday 24 December

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.