Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Gordon Prentice (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 6 December 2005 on behalf of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Patronage

Question: Unfortunately, we have to live with the curse of patronage. There are 30,000 public appointments, many of the most important of which—the chairman of the BBC, for example—are made using patronage powers. Before such appointments are made, would it not be a good idea to have confirmation hearings, here in the House of Commons, along the lines of those in the Senate?

Answer: If we were to subject all those appointments to some sort of confirmation process in the House of Commons— The Government are not attracted to that suggestion. We have set up a process according to which there is an independent commissioner for public appointments and all appointments are made in line with that code of practice. There is also a new House of Lords Appointments Commission. I think that we have got the balance about right as regards the way in which these matters are handled. However, if my hon. Friend has specific suggestions about some of the detail, ministerial colleagues and I would be happy to listen to him.

Secondary information