FIRST REPORT OF SESSION
2007-08 FROM THE HOUSE COMMITTEE
DOMESTIC COMMITTEES' TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. It is five years since the current system
of governance in the House of Lords was established. In 2002,
following a report from the Working Group on Management and Services
chaired by Lord Tordoff, the Offices Committee recommended,[1]
and the House agreed to, the establishment of the House Committee,
the Management Board and the existing structure of domestic committees.
2. Over the last few months the House Committee
has reviewed the system of governance and has taken into account
an external review of the Management Board by Sir John Parker
and a review of management and services of the House of Commons
by Sir Kevin Tebbit[2].
In June the House Committee requested that Lord Hunt of Wirral
and Lord Tordoff make a report on the internal governance of the
Lords.
3. One of the conclusions of Lord Hunt and Lord
Tordoff's report[3] was
that the terms of reference of the House Committee and the other
domestic committees could better reflect the House Committee's
non-executive role vis-à-vis the Management Board, and
its function in setting strategic direction. It was also suggested
that the terms of reference could explicitly refer to the Committee's
role of supervising arrangements relating to Members' expenses.
We therefore recommend that the terms of reference of the House
Committee should be revised as follows:
"To set the policy framework for the administration
of the House and to provide non-executive guidance to the Management
Board; to approve the House's strategic, business and financial
plans; to agree the annual Estimates and Supplementary Estimates;
to supervise the arrangements relating to Members' expenses; and
to approve the House of Lords Annual Report."
4. The report also concluded that the terms of
reference of the other domestic committees could better reflect
the House Committee's strategic role. At present they refer to
the committees exercising their functions "within financial
limits approved by the House Committee". We recommend
that the other domestic committees' term of reference should be
amended to refer to the "strategic framework and financial
limits approved by the House Committee".
5. If agreed, the terms of reference of the Administration
and Works Committee would be:
"To consider administrative services, accommodation
and works, including works relating to security, within the strategic
framework and financial limits approved by the House Committee."
The terms of reference of the Information Committee
would be:
"To consider information and communications
services, including the Library and the Parliamentary Archives,
within the strategic framework and financial limits approved by
the House Committee."
The terms of reference of the Refreshment Committee
would be:
"To advise on the refreshment services provided
for the House, within the strategic framework and financial limits
approved by the House Committee."
The terms of reference of the Works of Art Committee
would be:
"To administer the House of Lords Works of Art
Collection Fund; and to consider matters relating to works of
art and the artistic heritage in the House of Lords, within the
strategic framework and financial limits approved by the House
Committee."
6. The House is invited to agree the terms
of reference proposed in paragraphs 3 and 5 above.
7. We would also like to draw particular attention
to the following summary of the role of the domestic committees
contained in the 2002 Working Group report, which was reiterated
in the recent report by Lord Hunt and Lord Tordoff:
"[The domestic committees should] function primarily
as user groups, actively canvassing the views of Members and providing
a forum within which they can make complaints or suggestions about
services."
1 5th Report from the Select Committee on the House
of Lords' Offices, session 2001-02, HL Paper 105. Back
2
Review of Management and Services of the House of Commons, session
2006-07, HC Paper 685. Back
3
The report and a memorandum considered by the Committee are available
on the Lords intranet at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/h07081.pdf Back
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