Speaker's
Committee Third Report 2014
Introduction
1. The Political Parties, Elections
and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), as amended by the Political
Parties and Elections Act 2009, provides for the Electoral Commission
to have nine or ten Commissioners.[1]
The Commission comprises:
· up
to six 'ordinary' Commissioners who are subject to restrictions
on political activity and who are recruited by competition, under
a procedure put in place and overseen by the Speaker's Committee;
and
· four
'nominated' commissioners, who are persons put forward by the
registered leader of a qualifying party for consideration for
appointment. [2]
2. John Horam (later created Baron Horam
of Grimsargh in the County of Lancashire) was appointed as the
Electoral Commissioner nominated by the Leader of the Conservative
Party, on 1 March 2012 for the period ending on 30 September 2014.
3. David Howarth was appointed as the
Electoral Commissioner nominated by the Leader of the Liberal
Democrats, on 1 October 2010 for a period ending on 30 September
2014.
4. The Speaker's Committee on the Electoral
Commission is required under section 3 of PPERA to oversee the
procedure for selecting candidates for appointment to the Electoral
Commission. This duty encompasses the recommendation of candidates
for re-appointment to the Electoral Commission.[3]
There is, however, no presumption in the statute either
for or against re-appointment. Before considering whether to make
a recommendation to re-appoint a nominated Electoral Commissioner
the Committee asks the Chair of the Commission to provide a report
on the candidate's performance. Jenny Watson, Chair of the Commission,
provided the Committee with reports on the performance of Lord
Horam and David Howarth.
John Horam
5. Jenny Watson wrote to the Committee
confirming that Lord Horam was an effective, assiduous Commissioner
and that the Board's deliberations benefitted from his astute
sense of public and political reaction. In addition, she noted
his contribution to the Board during the passage of the Transparency
of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration
Bill and his interest in the Commission's broader corporate matters.
David Howarth
6. Jenny Watson wrote to the Committee
that Mr Howarth was a great asset to the Board. She noted that
his experience in local and national politics and extensive knowledge
of constitutional law and parliamentary process were beneficial
to the Board. Ms Watson emphasised that Mr Howarth's attention
to detail and underlying principle added to policy discussions
and noted his close involvement in the Commission's contribution
to the Law Commissions' Review of Electoral Law.
Statutory consultation
7. Section 3(2)(b) of PPERA requires
that a proposal to re-appoint a member of the Electoral Commission
be subject of consultation with the registered leader of each
registered party to which two or more Members of the House of
Commons then belong. The Speaker accordingly wrote to the leaders
of the qualifying parties on 5 June, providing an opportunity
for comment by 26 June. Those leaders who responded were content
with the proposal. The responses received are reproduced in the
appendix. The Committee therefore commends the re-appointment
of Lord Horam and David Howarth as nominated Electoral Commissioners
from 1 October 2014 for a period ending on 30 September 2018.
The Speaker will make arrangements for the appropriate motion
requesting that Her Majesty make the re-appointments to be considered
by the House of Commons.[4]
1 s1(3) of the 2000 Act as amended by s6 of the Political
Parties and Elections Act 2009 Back
2
A qualifying party is a party with two or more Members of the
House of Commons at the time of the person's appointment Back
3
s3 of the 2000 Act, as amended by the Political Parties and Elections
Act 2009 Back
4
s3(1) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act
2000 Back
| 
