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Proceeding contribution from Baroness Keeley (Labour) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 28 October 2009. It occurred during Debate on Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.


Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

I cannot help any further on that point. I am sure that all points have been made as well as possible. Let me turn to some of the other questions that have been asked in this debate. If there are any points that I cannot answer this evening, I am sure that my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House will touch on them tomorrow or that we will be able to deal with them in the next few weeks. I understand that the recruitment of the chair and members of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is expected soon. In fact, a substantial part of the reason for our urgency in moving this evening's motion is that we need the Committee to be on board with the functions that I touched on earlier, in order to ratify the nomination of the chair and board members before they are put to the House. The Speaker's Committee will be a key part of that process. I was asked whether I could "shed any delight" on the timetable, which I thought was interesting for this time of day, although I assume that what was meant was "light". As far as I understand the progress on setting up the new authority, it has an interim chief executive, whom Mr. Speaker appointed. Tonight we are discussing the establishment of the Speaker's Committee, and very soon—once the Committee is convened—we would expect the board to be convened, also with its chair and members. All that work will go forward. Mention was made of remuneration. I am aware of some discussion about that. Points were also made about transparency. The 2009 Act specifies that Mr. Speaker will determine the terms and conditions for the chair and ordinary members, who will later be appointed by Her Majesty, on an address to the House. I am sure that the points that have been made about transparency have been well received this evening.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
498 c409 
Session
2008-09
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Membership Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Bell, Stuart Blackman, Liz Touhig, Lord Young of Cookham, Lord Harvey, Nick
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk