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Administration Committee

Again, the primary purpose of the rule is to limit the duration of office to two Parliaments. I have made it clear that if someone becomes a Select Committee Chairman mid-Parliament, the remaining period of that Parliament would not count against the hon. Member in relation to the two Parliament rule. The amendment is essentially trying to avoid circumstances that have arisen whereby specific Select Committees have not met and appointed their Chairmen, for example, until after the summer recess. Chairmen in that position would chair the Committee for that Parliament and the succeeding Parliament. I am trying to get the rule back to the original intention: to apply to the lifetime of a Parliament. I want to remove the unnecessary focus on the eight year period.