Select Committees

Select Committees are set up to examine the work of Government Departments, and now constitute the main investigatory system by which the House overseas the exercise of Government responsibilities and the development of public policy and expenditure.

The following information on Select Committees is available on the Parliament website:

Select Committee membership: www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/selmem.cfm

Links to Select Committee home pages containing information on the work of the Select Committee and its publications: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/parliamentary_committees16.cfm

For further information on Select Committees see HCIO Factsheet P2 produced by the House of Commons Information Office, available in hardcopy on request or to download from the Parliament website.

Membership announcements and changes:

None

Select Committee Meetings
18 - 20 November 2009

Wednesday 18 November

Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject: Television Broadcasting in Northern Ireland
Witnesses: Richard Williams, Chief Executive, and Rick Hill, Chairman, Northern Ireland Screen.

4:45pm

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Thursday 19 November

Health
Subject: Social Care
Witnesses: National Care Association, English Community Care Association, and UK Homecare Association; Partnership Life Assurance Company Ltd, and William Laing.

10:00am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Public Administration
Subject: Official Statistics: 2011 Census Questions
Witnesses: Demographics User Group, Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Professor Philip Rees; Jil Matheson, National Statistician, and Glen Watson, Census Director, Office for National Statistics.

10:00am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Friday 20 November

None

Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
23 - 27 November 2009

Monday 23 November

Welsh Affairs Subject: Cross-border provision of public services for Wales: transport; follow-up Witnesses: Arriva, and First Great Western; Regional transport consortia (at 12.00 noon).	11:00am	The Senedd, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay
Communities and Local Government Subject: Beyond Decent Homes Witnesses: Alison Inman, Chair, and Gwyneth Taylor, Policy Director, National Federation of Arms Length Management Organisations, and Paul Tanney, Chief Executive, East Durham ALMO; Richard Jones, Secretary, Residential Landlords Association (at 3.10pm).	2:30pm	Council Chambers, Stockport Town Hall
Committee on Issue of Privilege (Police Searches on Parliamentary Estate)* Subject: Witnesses: Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall MBE, National Co-ordinator of Terrorist Investigations, and Chief Superintendent Ed Bateman, Head of Parliamentary Security, Metropolitan Police Service; Robert Quick QPM (at 4.50pm); Denis O'Connor CBE QPM, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Ian Johnston CBE QPM DL, and Assistant Commissioner John Yates QPM, Metropolitan Police Service (5.20pm).	4:15pm	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Public Accounts* Subject: Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis Witnesses: David Nicholson CBE, Chief Executive, NHS, Dr Alan Nye, General Practitioner and Clinical Advisor Elective Care, Gary Belfield, Acting Director General (Commissioning and System Management), and Professor David Colin-Thomé, National Director for Primary Care, Department of Health.	4:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Tuesday 24 November

Business, Innovation and Skills Subject: Broadband Speed Witnesses: Ed Richards, Chief Executive, Ofcom; Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 10.30.m).	9:30am	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Treasury Subject: Bank of England November Inflation Report Witnesses: Mervyn King, Governor, Paul Tucker, Deputy Governor, Paul Fisher, Executive Director, Markets, and Dr Adam Posen and Dr Andrew Sentance, External Members of the Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England.	9:45am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
International Development Subject: DFID Annual Report 2009/DFID White Paper 2009 Witnesses: Nemat (Minouche) Shafik, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Development.	10:30am	Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Defence* Subject: (i) Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09 (ii) The Green Paper and readiness and recuperation of the Armed Forces Witnesses: Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, Secretary of State for Defence, Rear Admiral Alan Richards, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Strategy & Plans) and Jon Thompson, Director General Finance, Ministry of Defence.	10:30am	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Culture, Media and Sport* Subject: The Future of Local and Regional Media Witnesses: John Fingleton, Chief Executive, and Alastair Mordaunt, Director of Mergers, Office of Fair Trading, and Ed Richards, Chief Executive, and Stuart Purvis, Content and Standards Partner, Ofcom; Mark Byford, Deputy Director-General, BBC, and Helen Boaden, Director, BBC News (at 11.30am).	10:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Welsh Affairs Subject: The Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Local Government) Order 2009 Witnesses: Dr Brian Gibbons AM, Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Welsh Assembly Government; Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (at 11.15am).	10:30am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Home Affairs Subject: (i) New Identity Commissioner (ii) Police Service Strength Witnesses: (i) Sir Joseph Pilling KCB, Identity Commissioner (ii) Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin QPM, Metropolitan Police Service, and Chief Constable Gillian Parker QPM, Bedfordshire Police (at 11.00am); Dr Moira Hamlin, Chair, Avon and Somerset Police Authority, Simon Humberstone, Executive, IBM Global Business Services and Director, Southwest One Board, and Chief Constable Colin Port, Avon and Somerset Police (at 11.30am); Rt Hon David Hanson MP, Minister for Policing, Crime and Counter-Terrorism, Home Office (at 12 noon).	10:30am	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Justice* Subject: The Work of the Ministry of Justice Witnesses: Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor.	4:15pm	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Committee Subject: The Work of Yorkshire Forward Witnesses: Tom Riordan, Chief Executive, Yorkshire Forward; Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP, Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber (at 5.15pm).	4:15pm	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

Wednesday 25 November

Science and Technology Sub-Committee* Subject: Evidence check: Homeopathy Witnesses: Professor Jayne Lawrence, Chief Scientific Adviser, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Robert Wilson, Chairman, British Association of Homeopathic Manufacturers, Paul Bennett, Professional Standards Director, Boots, Tracey Brown, Managing Director, Sense About Science, and Dr Ben Goldacre, The Guardian; Dr Peter Fisher, Director of Research, Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, Professor Edzard Ernst, Director, Complementary Medicine Group, Peninsula Medical School, Dr James Thallon, Medical Director, NHS West Kent, and Dr Robert Mathie, Research Development Adviser, British Homeopathic Association (at 10.30am).	9:30am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Scottish Affairs Subject: Banking in Scotland Witnesses: Federation of Small Businesses and Law Society of Scotland; Citizens Advice Scotland (at 3.30pm).	2:30pm	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Treasury* Subject: Financial Services Authority Annual Report 2008-09 Witnesses: Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, Chairman, and Hector Sants, Chief Executive, Financial Services Authority.	2:30pm	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Transport Subject: Priorities for investment in the railways Witnesses: Rail Freight Group, DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd, and Freight Transport Association; Chris Mole MP, Parliamentary�-Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport (at 3.15pm).	2:45pm	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Subject: Pre-Appointment Hearing: Chair of Natural England Witnesses: Poul Christensen CBE, Government's preferred candidate.	3:00pm	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Public Accounts Subject: Young people's sexual health: the National Chlamydia Screening Programme Witnesses: Sir Hugh Taylor CB, Permanent Secretary, Dr David R Harper CBE, Director of Commissioning and System Management, and Dr Ruth Hussey OBE, Regional Director of Public Health/Senior Medical Director for NHS North West and DH North West, Department of Health, and Justin McCracken, Chief Executive, Health Protection Agency.	3:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
International Development Subject: DFID Annual Report 2009/DFID White Paper 2009 Witnesses: Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International Development.	3:30pm	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

Thursday 26 November

Public Administration
Subject: Pre-appointment Hearing: Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Lang of Monkton DL.

10:00am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Health
Subject: Social Care
Witnesses: Age Concern and Help the Aged, Counsel and Care, and Alzheimer's Society; Mencap, Mind, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Carers UK (at 11.15am).

10:00am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Friday 27 November

None

[The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice]

All public select committee meetings are webcast
Select committees marked with * will be taken by BBC Parliament
Recorded information about forthcoming select and standing committee meetings over the next two sitting days is available on:[Tel 020 7219 2033]. Please note: The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded, and the place altered without notice and Committees which sit at short notice may not be included in this list.