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:

Business, Innovation and Skills: Mr Adrian Bailey discharged; Ian Stewart added

Standards and Privileges: David Curry discharged; Sir Malcolm Rifkind added

Work and Pensions: Mr Mark Harper discharged; Chloe Smith added

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

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

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; 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.

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.

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.

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 I, External Members of the Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England.

International Development
Subject: DFID Annual Report 2009/DFID White Paper 2009
Witnesses: Nemat (Minouche) Shafik, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Development.

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.

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. 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.

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; 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; Rt Hon David Hanson MP, Minister for Policing, Crime and Counter-Terrorism, Home Office.

Justice
Subject: The Work of the Ministry of Justice
Witnesses: Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor.

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.

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.

Scottish Affairs
Subject: Banking in Scotland
Witnesses: Federation of Small Businesses and Law Society of Scotland; Citizens Advice Scotland.

Treasury
Subject: Financial Services Authority Annual Report 2008-09
Witnesses: Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, Chairman, and Hector Sants, Chief Executive, Financial Services Authority.

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.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject: Pre-Appointment Hearing: Chair of Natural England
Witnesses: Poul Christensen CBE, Government's preferred candidate.

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.

International Development
Subject: DFID Annual Report 2009/DFID White Paper 2009
Witnesses: Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International Development.

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.

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.

Welsh Affairs

Subject: Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Local Government) Order 2009

Witnesses: Mr Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office

Friday 27 November

None

Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
30 November - 4 December 2009

Monday 30 November

East Midlands Regional Committee Subject: Share of funding in the East Midlands Witnesses: Janet Birkin, Chairman, Derbyshire Police Authority, and Richard Compton, Chief Constable, Lincolnshire Police; Big Lottery Fund, Sport England, and Art Council (at 4.00pm)	3:15pm	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Work and Pensions Subject: Management and Administration of Contracted Employment programmes Witnesses: Huw Davies, Chief Executive, British Association for Supported Employment, Rob Murdoch, Chair, Employment Related Service Association (ERSA) and Executive Director, A4e, and Matthew Lester, Vice Chair, ERSA and Director of Operations, The Papworth Trust	4:15pm	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Science and Technology Sub-Committee* Subject: Evidence check: homeopathy Witnesses: Mike O'Brien QC MP, Minister for Health Services, Department of Health; Professor David Harper, Director General, Health Improvement and Protection, and Chief Scientist, Department of Health; Professor Kent Woods, Chief Executive, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency	4:15pm	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Communities and Local Government * Subject: Preventing Violent Extremism Witnesses: Quilliam, Institute of Community Cohesion, and New Local Government Network; Muslim Council of Britain, An-Nisa Society, and Islamic Human Rights Commission (at 4.55pm); Forward Thinking, Ulfah Arts, and JUST (at 5.30pm)	4:20pm	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts Subject: Department for International Development's Assistance to Malawi Witnesses: Dr Nemat Minouche Shafik, Permanent Secretary, Gwen Hines, Head of Malawi Country Office, and Sam Sharpe, Director, Finance and Corporate Performance Division, Department for International Development	4:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Tuesday 1 December

Environmental Audit* Subject: Adapting to Climate Change Witnesses: Natural England; Water UK (at 10.50am); and UK Climate Impacts Programme (at 11.30am)	10:20am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Culture, Media and Sport and Business, Innovation and Skills Subject: Ofcom Annual Plan 2009-10 Witnesses: Dr Colette Bowe, Chairman, and Ed Richards, Chief Executive, Ofcom	10:30am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Defence Subject: Defence Equipment Witnesses: General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue KCB CBE, Chief of Defence Materiel, Dr Andrew Tyler, Chief Operating Officer, Defence Equipment and Support, and Guy Lester, Director, Equipment Resources, Ministry of Defence	10:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Home Affairs* Subject: The Cocaine Trade Witnesses: Association of Chief Police Officers, and Metropolitan Police; UK Border Agency (at 11.00am); Maria Eagle MP, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, and National Offender Management Service (at 11.30am); Serious Organised Crime Agency (at 12 noon)	10:30am	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Welsh Affairs
Subject: (i) Cross-border provision of public services for Wales: Further and Higher Education; follow-up (ii) Big Lottery Fund
Witnesses: (i) Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Welsh Assembly Government (ii) Big Lottery Fund (at 11.15am)

10:30am Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

International Development
Subject: DFID's programme in Bangladesh
Witnesses: Professor Geoff Wood, University of Bath, and Dr Martin Greeley, Institute of Development Studies; Pierre Landell-Mills, Consultant, and Dr Thomas Tanner, Institute of Development Studies (at 11.15am)

10:30am Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Joint Committee on Human Rights
Subject: Counter-terrorism Policy and Human Rights
Witnesses: Rt Hon David Hanson MP, Minister for Policing and Crime, Home Office

1:45pm Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Wednesday 2 December

Energy and Climate Change Subject: Project Discovery; and the prospect for domestic prices Witnesses: Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem)	9:15am	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Work and Pensions Subject: Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Witnesses: Janet Paraskeva, Chair, and Stephen Geraghty, Commissioner, Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission	9:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Science and Technology Subject: The work of the UK research councils Witnesses: Professor Alan Thorpe, Chairman, Research Councils UK	10:00am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Joint Committee on Human Rights Subject: Annual Session with the Human Rights Minister Witnesses: Rt Hon Michael Wills MP, Minister for Human Rights	2:00pm	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Scottish Affairs Subject: Banking in Scotland Witnesses: Scottish Trades Union Congress, Unite the Union, Clydesdale Ban, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Building Societies Association (at 3.30pm)	2:15pm	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Subject: Defra's Departmental Report 2009: the Rural Payments Agency Witnesses: Dame Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Tony Cooper, Chief Executive, Rural Payments Agency	2:30pm	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Foreign Affairs* Subject: Global Security: UK/US Relations Witnesses: Nick Witney, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations; Stryker McGuire, Contributing Editor, Newsweek, and Justin Webb, Journalist, BBC (at 3.15pm); Sir Jeremy Greenstock GCMG, and Sir David Manning GCMG CVO (at 4.30pm)	2:30pm	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Transport* Subject: Performance of the Department for Transport Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport, and Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport	2:45pm	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts* Subject: Equality and Human Rights Commission Accounts Witnesses: Mr Jonathan Rees, Director General, Government Equalities Office, Mr Trevor Phillips, Chair and Mr Neil Kinghan CB, Interim Director General, Equality and Human Rights Commission	3:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Thursday 3 December

Health Subject: Social Care Witnesses: Caroline Glendinning, Professor of Social Policy, University of York, Peter Beresford, Professor of Social Policy, Brunel University, and In Control; Jenny Owen, President, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, and Councillor Sir Jeremy Beecham, Vice-Chairman, Local Government Association (at 11.15am)	10:00am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Public Administration Subject: Public Administration and the Fiscal Squeeze Witnesses: Institute for Government, Reform, and Professor Colin Talbot	10:00am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Culture, Media and Sport Subject: The Future of Local and Regional Media Witnesses: Matt Brittin, Managing Director, Google UK; Paul Bradshaw, Lecturer in Journalism, Birmingham University (at 11.30am)	10:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Welsh Affairs Subject: Cross-border provision of public services for Wales: follow-up Witnesses: Rt Hon Mike O'Brien QC MP, Minister of State, Department of Health, Phil Woolas MP, Minister for the North West, and Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 11.15am)	10:30am	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Friday 4 December

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.