Session 2010-12
Publications on the internet
Weekly Information Bulletin

Weekly Information Bulletin: 5th March 2011

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:

Procedure Committee: Mike Wood discharged, Helen Goodman added

Select Committee Meetings
28 February – 4 March 2011

Monday 28 February

Science and Technology
Subject: Pfizer’s decision to close its research and development facility at Sandwich
Witnesses: Dr Richard Barker, Director General, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and Dr David M Hollinshead, Royal Society of Chemistry; Dr Olivier Brandicourt, President and General Manager of Pfizer’s Primary Care Business Unit, Dr Rod MacKenzie, Senior Vice President and Head of Worldwide Research for PharmaTherapeutics Research and Development, Dr Ruth McKernan, Senior Vice President and Site Head, Sandwich, and Richard Blackburn, Managing Director, Pfizer UK (at 4.00pm)

Tuesday 1 March

Treasury
Subject: (i) Financial regulation; (ii) Bank of England February 2011 Inflation Report
Witnesses: (i) Mervyn King, Governor, Paul Tucker, Deputy Governor, Financial Stability, Andrew Bailey, Executive Director, Banking and Chief Cashier, and Andrew Haldane, Executive Director, Financial Stability, Bank of England; (ii) Mervyn King, Governor, Charlie Bean, Deputy Governor, Monetary Policy, Paul Fisher, Executive Director, Markets, Professor David Miles and Dr Martin Weale, external members of the Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England (at 11.00am)

Scottish Affairs
Subject: The Scotland Bill
Witnesses: Fiona Hyslop MSP, Minister for Culture and External Affairs, Scottish Executive

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: Shale Gas
Witnesses: Cuadrilla Resources and IGas Energy; Geological Society of London, and Nick Grealy, No Hot Air (at 11.15am)

Health
Subject: Commissioning: further issues
Witnesses: Calum Paton, Professor of Health Policy, Keele University, Professor Paul Corrigan CBE, Independent Consultant, Nigel Edwards, Acting Chief Executive, NHS Confederation, and Stephen Hocking, Partner, Beachcroft LLP; Dr David Bennett, Interim Chief Executive and Adrian Masters, Director of Strategy, Monitor, Dr Ron Singer, Medical Practitioners’ Union, and Dr Anna Dixon, Director of Policy, The King’s Fund (at 11.45am)

Transport
Subject: Network Rail
Witnesses: David Higgins, Chief Executive, National Rail

Justice
Subject: The operation of the Family Courts
Witnesses: Sir Nicholas Wall, President, Family Division; Dr Judith Freeman, Consortium of expert witnesses to the Family Courts, Napo and Nagalro (at 11.30am)

International Development
Subject: The Future of DFID’s Programme in India
Witnesses: Dr Gareth Price, Senior Research Director, Asia Programme, Chatham House, Malini Mehra, Founder and Chief Executive, Centre for Social Markets, and Dr Rosalind Eyben, Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex

Public Accounts
Subject: Health Landscape Review
Witnesses: Chris Ham, Chief Executive, The King’s Fund, Dr Clare Gerada, Chairman, Royal College of General Practitioners, Jill Watts, Chief Executive Officer, Ramsay Healthcare UK, and Dr Shane Gordon, GP Commissioning Lead, NHS East of England

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

Joint Committee on Human Rights
Subject: Policing and Protest
Witnesses: Nigel Stanley (Head of Campaigns and Communications) and Carl Roper (Chief Steward for the march planned for 26 March), Trades Union Congress; Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens and Commander Bob Broadhurst, Metropolitan Police Service; Joe Kaye, Assistant Inspector, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary

Welsh Affairs
Subject: Responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Wales
Witnesses: Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, Secretary of State for Wales

Wednesday 2 March

Science and Technology
Subject: (i) Strategically important metals (ii) Pfizer decision to close its research and development facility at Sandwich (iii) UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation
Witnesses: (i) Professor Robert Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Professor David Clary FRS, Chief Scientific Adviser, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 9.40am); (ii) Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 10.00am); (iii) Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (at 10.45am)

Education
Subject: The role and performance of Ofsted
Witnesses: Tim Loughton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, and Lord Hill of Oareford, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education

International Development
Subject: The Humanitarian Response to the Pakistan Floods
Witnesses: Manuel Bessler, Head of Office, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Pakistan (via video link)

Justice
Subject: Access to Justice: Government’s proposed reforms for legal aid
Witnesses: Nick Hurd MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject: The implications of the welfare of laying hens directive for the egg industry
Witnesses: The British Egg Industry Council; Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (at 3.45pm); British Retail Consortium and Noble Foods Ltd (at 4.15pm)

Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject: Northern Ireland as an enterprise zone
Witnesses: Confederation of British Industry; Invest Northern Ireland (at 4.00pm)

Public Accounts
Subject: Public Service Pensions
Witnesses: Sir Nicholas Macpherson KCB, Permanent Secretary, James Richardson, Director, Public Spending, Public Services and Growth Directorate, HM Treasury, Tim Sands, NHS Pensions, Department of Health and Ros Altman, Pensions Expert

Thursday 3 March

Public Administration
Subject: Good Governance and Civil Service Reform/Cabinet Manual
Witnesses: Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Sir Gus O’Donnell KCB, Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service

Political and Constitutional Reform
Subject: Constitutional implications of the Cabinet Manual
Witnesses: Dr Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, David Walker, and Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Democratic Audit

Home Affairs
Subject: Student Visas
Witnesses: Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Jeremy Browne MP, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (at 11.00am)

Friday 4 March

None

Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
7 – 11 March 2011

Monday 7 March

Communities and Local Government
Subject: Audit and Inspection of local authorities
Witnesses: Cllr Jill Shortland , Vice Chair, LGA Improvement Board and Cllr Robert Light, Deputy Chairman LG Group Executive, Local Government Association, Peter Lacey, National Association of Local Councils, and Peter Holland, President, Chief Fire Officers Association; Cllr Sharon Taylor, Stevenage Borough Council, Cllr Peter Fleming, Sevenoaks District Councils, District Councils Network, Cllr Roger Phillips, and Cllr Dave Wilcox, County Councils Network (at 5.10 p.m.)

4:20pm

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Tuesday 8 March

*Transport
Subject: Impact on transport of recent adverse weather conditions
Witnesses: (At 10.15) Andrew Lord, Director of Operations, British Airways; Steve Ridgeway, Chief Executive and Corneel Koster, Director of Operations, Safety and Security, Virgin Atlantic; (At 11.15)

10:15am

Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Public Administration
Subject: IT Role in Government
Witnesses: i) Professor Helen Margetts, Oxford Internet Institute, Dr Ian Brown, Oxford Internet Institute and Dr Edgar Whitley, London School of Economics (10.30am) ii) Professor Nigel Shadbolt, University of Southampton and Sir Ian Magee, Institute for Government (11.30am)

10:30am

Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

Justice
Subject: The role of the Probation Service
Witnesses: Jen Byrne, A4E; Genevieve Knight, Policy Studies Institute; Professor Martin Chalkley University of Dundee; Toby Eccles, Social Finance;Ian Porée, NOMS; Helen Edwards and Luke Edwards, Ministry of Justice (11.30 a.m.)

10:30am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Welsh Affairs
Subject: Inward Investment in Wales
Witnesses: Dr John Ball, Swansea University, Professor David Pickernell, University of Glamorgan, and Professor Peter Gripaios; CBI Wales, Cardiff Business Partnership, and South Wales Chamber of Commerce (at 11.15 a.m.)

10:30am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Health
Subject: Commissioning: further issues
Witnesses: Dr Peter Weaving, GP commissioning lead in Carlisle consortium; Christopher Long, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Hull, Dr Margaret Lovett, GP commissioning lead in Hull consortium, and Dr Deborah Colvin GP, Lawson Practice Hackney; Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive, NHS and Chief Executive-designate, NHS Commissioning Board, Dame Barbara Hakin, National Managing Director of Commissioning Development, Tim Rideout, Director of Commissioning Board Development, and Ben Dyson, Director of Commissioning, Department of Health (at 11.15 am)

10:30am

Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Business, Innovation and Skills
Subject: Rebalancing the Economy: Trade and Investment
Witnesses: Dr Razeen Sally, London School of Economics; Professor Jim Rollo, Sussex University; Vanessa Rossi, Chatham House; Susan Haird, Acting CEO, UKTI; Patrick Crawford, CEO, ECGD; David Frost CMG, Director for Europe, Trade and International Affairs, BIS

10:30am

Committee Room 19, Palace of Westminster

*Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: Football Governance
Witnesses: David Gill, Chief Executive, Manchester United; Peter Coates, Chairman, and Tony Scholes, Director, Stoke City; Niall Quinn, Chairman, Sunderland; Lord Mawhinney, former Chairman of the Football League and Henry McLeish, author of the Review of Scottish Football

10:45am

Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Home Affairs
Subject: Implications for Justice and Home Affairs area of accession of Turkey to EU
Witnesses: Dr Franck Duvell, Centre of Migration Policy and Society; Rob Wainwright, Director, Europol (at 12 noon); Damian Green MP, Minister of State for Immigration, Home Office

11:00am

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

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

1:00pm

Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Joint Committee on Human Rights
Subject: The Human Rights Implications of UK Extradition Policy
Witnesses: Commander Allan Gibson and Detective Superintendent Murray Duffin, Metropolitan Police Service; Charlotte Powell, Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)

2:40pm

Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Wednesday 9 March

Science and Technology
Subject: Astronomy and Particle Physics
Witnesses: Anna Barth, Camden School for Girls, London Jack Bliss, Allerton Grange School, Leeds Jessica Grainger, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic College, Widnes Hilary Lamb, Stroud High School, Gloucestershire James May, Castell Alun High School, Hope (nr. Wrexham) Charlie Palin, Neston High School, Merseyside; Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics, Professor of Public Engagement in Science, University of Surrey, Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Space Scientist, Astrium Ltd and Science Innovation Ltd (at 9.55 am); Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, President, Institute of Physics, Professor Roger Davies, President, Royal Astronomical Society

9:15am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Education
Subject: Services for Young People
Witnesses: (At 9.30) Janet Batsleer, Head of Youth and Community Work Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr Howard Williamson, Professor of European Youth Policy, University of Glamorgan; Dr Jason Wood, Head of Research, Youth and Community Division, De Montfort University; and Tony Gallagher, HMI National Adviser (Youth Support), Ofsted. (At 10.30am) David Wright, Chief Executive, Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services; Harry Fowler, Head of Youth Services, Birmingham City Council; Garath Symonds, Head of Youth Services, Surrey County Council; Brendan O’Keefe, Head of Youth Services, Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council

9:30am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Work and Pensions
Subject: The Government’s plans for pensions reform
Witnesses: Steve Webb MP, Minister of State for Pensions

9:30am

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject: Domestic fisheries management-Implications of the Common Fisheries Policy
Witnesses: National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations; New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association; Richard Benyon MP, Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Fisheries, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (at 3.00 pm)

2:15pm

Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster

*Foreign Affairs
Subject: Implications of the BBC World Service Cuts
Witnesses: Gerry Morrissey, General Secretary, BECTU and Jeremy Dear, General Secretary, National Union of Journalists; Peter Horrocks, Director, BBC World Service (at approx 3.30pm)

2:30pm

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

*Defence
Subject: The Strategic Defence and Security Review and the National Security Strategy
Witnesses: Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon William Hague MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, Secretary of State for International Development, and Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, Minister of State, Cabinet Office

2:30pm

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject: Northern Ireland as an enterprise zone
Witnesses: John Simpson, part-time Consultant, Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster, and regular writer on the Northern Ireland economy

2:30pm

Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Environmental Audit
Subject: The impact of UK overseas aid on environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation
Witnesses: WWF, Greenpeace and Dr Nick Hepworth

2:45pm

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Treasury
Subject: Retail Distribution Review
Witnesses: Hector Sants, Chief Executive, and Sheila Nicoll, Director, Conduct Policy, Financial Services Authority

3:00pm

Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

*Public Accounts
Subject: Typhoon
Witnesses: Ursula Brennan, Permanent Under Secretary, supported by AVM Simon Bollom or Air Commander Sean Bell, Ministry of Defence

4:15pm

Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Thursday 10 March

Political and Constitutional Reform
Subject: Constitutional implications of the Cabinet Manual
Witnesses: Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary

10:00am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

*Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: Pre-appointment hearing with the Chair of the BBC Trust
Witnesses: Lord Patten of Barnes

10:15am

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Business, Innovation and Skills
Subject: Rebalancing the Economy: Trade and Investment
Witnesses: Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Minister of State for Trade and Invesment; Ed Davey MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

10:30am

Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Friday 11 March

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.