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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith elected chair of influential Liaison Committee
July 26, 2010 12:00 AM
Sir Alan beith MP ahas been elected "Chairman of Chairmen" and will head up the House of Commons' Liaison Committee.
The Liaison Committee, made up of the Chairs of all select committees has met to discuss the work of committees. Most of the Chairs have been directly elected by the whole House of Commons, under reforms agreed at the end of the last Parliament.
The Committee has elected Berwick's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith as its own Chair. Sir Alan also chairs the Justice Committee/
The Committee has invited David Cameron to give evidence in October, to continue the sessions with the Prime Minister begun in 2002 with Tony Blair.
The Committee will focus on improving financial scrutiny, and is looking at how the Government spending Estimates put before the House can be examined and challenged in a more rigorous way.
Sir Alan Beith said:
"The Liaison Committee will be an active champion of select committees.
"We will be working closely with the new Backbench Business Committee to ensure that the work of the committees and of the Chamber are better integrated.
"The existence of "backbench time" also means that we can now propose reforms and improvements to the select committee system on our own account, and will not have to depend on government making time available.
"A majority of members of the Liaison Committee are there because they have been elected by secret ballot of the whole House, following the recommendations of the Wright Committee. Committees now have a new authority and momentum which will ensure that their critical role in holding the Government to account is supported and strengthened."
The newly nominated House of Commons Select Committees have moved quickly to set up hearings with departmental Secretaries of State and launch their first inquiries on topical issues and some of the early policy proposals from the Coalition Government. Further details of select committee activity this week and next week can be found here:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/hocselcomcal.pdf
Committee Membership is as follows:
Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP (Chair)
Mr Graham Allen MP
Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP
Mr Adrian Bailey MP
Miss Anne Begg MP
Mr Clive Betts MP
Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP
Mr Ian Davidson MP
David T C Davies MP
Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell MP
Mrs Louise Ellman MP
Natascha Engel MP
Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP
Mr Bernard Jenkin MP
Rt Hon Greg Knight MP
Miss Anne McIntosh MP
Andrew Miller MP
Mr George Mudie MP
Richard Ottaway MP
Mr Laurence Robertson MP
Mr Graham Stuart MP
Mr Andrew Tyrie MP
Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP
Joan Walley MP
Mr John Whittingdale MP
Mr Tim Yeo MP
Committee Website: www.parliament.uk/liaisoncom
Watch committees and parliamentary debates online: www.parliamentlive.tv<<a href="http://www.parliamentlive.tv/">http://www.parliamentlive.tv/>
Publications / Reports / Reference Material: Copies of all select committee reports are available from the Parliamentary Bookshop (12 Bridge St, Westminster, 020 7219 3890) or the Stationery Office (0845 7023474). Committee reports, press releases, evidence transcripts, Bills; research papers, a directory of MPs, plus Hansard (from 8am daily) and much more, can be found on www.parliament.uk<<a href="http://www.parliament.uk/">http://www.parliament.uk/>
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