---

Administration Committee

Before I start my comments on the motions, may I welcome the Leader of the House’s announcement about the book of condolences, which will be much appreciated by Members in all parts of the House? I am grateful to him. We are dealing with a rather belated process of appointing Select Committees, which has been eagerly anticipated by Members in all parts of the House and by many people outside. I detect a huge degree of enthusiasm from Members who are about to be appointed to Select Committees, some of them for the first time. I read in The Times about one of our new colleagues—I do not think that he is in the Chamber at the moment, and I will certainly not identify him—who was so enthusiastic that he sent out a press release saying that he was delighted to have been appointed to the ““powerful”” and ““much sought-after”” Education and Skills Committee. He has pre-empted the view of the House a little, but many Members will share his enthusiasm about participating in the work of ““powerful”” and ““much sought-after”” Select Committees.