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Honours System (Reform)

: I agree with my hon. Friend, at least partially. I am sure that we can all recount tales of those working in our communities, whether they work with carers organisations or young children, or whether they are from wealthy or deprived backgrounds, or are disabled. People might have put in many long hours of work for 20, 30 or 40 years, bringing smiles to people's faces and providing community facilities that otherwise would not exist. We have heard such examples this afternoon. The hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) raised the important point that no one seems to know what happens once an application or nomination is made. It seems to go into some sort of black hole, and sometimes it comes out in a positive manner. If it is refused, no one ever knows why, and that has to stop. People need to know where a nomination is in the current system. The report brought up a number of points. I notice that my predecessor—Lord Monro of Langholm, formerly Sir Hector Monro—felt that the role of the lord lieutenant should be more significant:"““Much more weight in the CBE-OBE-MBE area should go to the recommendation of the Lord Lieutenant.””" He went on to say that he"““had 34 years of experience as an MP and had an excellent relationship with successive Lords Lieutenant. The frustration at the few awards accepted by the Scottish Office was obvious. The Lords Lieutenant know more about local affairs than Civil Servants.””" I do not disagree that lords lieutenant know more about local affairs than civil servants, but none of us knows absolutely everything about our communities. I hesitate to add support to my predecessor's recommendation; in fact, I voice my objections to what he says. I have spent 20 years—11 as a councillor and nine as a Member of Parliament—working in local communities. I know a lot of people. I have had good working relationships with lords lieutenant, but I am not convinced that we should put more emphasis on their views in the selection of people who receive awards through the honours system. Much was made of Benjamin Zephaniah's refusal of the OBE in 2003, which was mentioned this afternoon. It became clear that refusals are not uncommon. I mentioned earlier that an average of 2 per cent. of nominations are refused on a fairly regular basis. It has become clear that the process of selection for successful nominations needs much greater local involvement. I am keen to see local panels established to assist in the process, perhaps moving thereafter to a committee of senior standing—to use a loose term. Many relevant points have been made this afternoon about our honours system, the second Chamber in the Palace of Westminster and how we should fund political parties in the future. Some people will say that those are three separate issues, but others will say that all are intertwined. I believe that they are, but in 2006, we need to move towards resolving each of the three issues. As I did in 2004, I want to make it clear that my congratulations go to all the recipients of honours over all these years. I know that some people are in the system for far longer than others. Some of our sportsmen and women and celebrities—whether they are in the field of art, film, television or whatever—seem to be able to jump through the system far quicker. I have no regrets about that, and I congratulate everyone who has received an honour. However, my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) talked about six principles. He and I might disagree on those—I might have six different principles—but they come down to two things: openness and accountability. I close by again congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase on this report. I am slightly disappointed that the Government have not responded more favourably. I agree with Sir John Major about the need to dispense with the ““British empire”” element, and I am wholly behind the idea of an Order of British Excellence. We live in a modern society; we should be treating and rewarding people in a modern way. References have been made to the British empire. It has a history, of which we in this country can be proud, but it has also had some dark days, which bring offence not only to those in far-flung places, but to some of us in the UK. We need to move towards British excellence rather than British empire.