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

4 - 8 January 2010

Monday 4 January

None

Tuesday 5 January

Home Affairs
Subject: DNA Database
Witnesses: Isabella Sankey, Policy Director, Liberty and Diane Abbott MP; Individuals whose details have been placed on the National DNA Database; Association of Chief Police Officers; Alan Campbell MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office

Justice*
Subject: (i) Justice Issues in Europe; (ii) Sentencing guideline: corporate manslaughter
Witnesses: Mike Kennedy CBE, Chief Operating Officer, CPS; Christopher Graham, Information Commissioner, and Stephen McCartney, Head of Data Protection Promotion, Information Commissioner's Office (ii) Health and Safety Executive and CBI; Families Against Corporate Killing and Aslef

Environmental Audit
Subject: (i) Adapting to Climate Change; and (ii) Air Quality
Witnesses: Greater London Authority

Wednesday 6 January

Energy and Climate Change
Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy
Witnesses: Royal Town Planning Institute, Planning Aid, and Town and Country Planning Association; Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and Institution of Civil Engineers

Science and Technology
Subject: Bioengineering
Witnesses: Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Dr Tina Barsby, Chief Executive, National Institute of Agricultural Botany and Professor Richard Kitney OBE FReng, Co-Director, Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London; Dr Ray Elliott, Head, Strategic Projects, Syngenta, Professor Sir John Bell, Chair, Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research and Professor Chris Mason, Chair of Regenerative Medicine Bioprocessing, University College London

Transport
Subject: Update on the London Underground and the public-private partnership (PPP) agreements
Witnesses: Chris Bolt, PPP Arbiter

Thursday 7 January

Health
Subject: Social Care
Witnesses: Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP, Secretary of State for Health

Welsh Affairs
Subject: The Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Housing and Local Government) Order 2010
Witnesses: Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office

Friday 8 January

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.

Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
11 - 15 January 2010

Monday 11 January

Welsh Affairs Subject: Wales and Whitehall Witnesses: Sir Jon Shortridge KCB; Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM (at 11.00am)	10:15am	National Assembly, Cardiff
Communities and Local Government Subject: Preventing Violent Extremism Witnesses: Local Government Association Group; Leicester City Council, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and Birmingham City Council (at 2.35pm); Association of Chief Police Officers, and Association of Police Authorities (at 3.10pm)	2:00pm	Amana Centre, Birmingham
Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills Subject: Corporation Tax Bill and Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Bill Witnesses: Robina Dyall, Director, Brian Jones, Team Leader, John Sellers CB, Head Drafter, and David Sewell, Drafter, HMRC Tax Law Rewrite Project, and Adam Broke, member, Consultative and Steering Committees	4:15pm	Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts Subject: Regenerating the English Coalfields Witnesses: Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary, Sir Bob Kerslake, Chief Executive, Homes and Communities Agency, Richard McCarthy, Director General, Housing and Planning, and Steve Fothergill, Director, Industrial Communities Alliance, Department for Communities and Local Government	4:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Tuesday 12 January

Treasury* Subject: Royal Bank of Scotland, Northern Rock, Lloyds Banking Group Witnesses: Stephen Hester, Chief Executive, Royal Bank of Scotland; Gary Hoffman, Chief Executive, Northern Rock (at 10.30am); Eric Daniels, Group Chief Executive, Lloyds Banking Group (at 11.15am)	9:45am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Home Affairs Subject: The Government's Approach to Crime Prevention Witnesses: Louise Casey, Director General, Neighbourhood, Crime and Justice Group, Home Office; National Youth Agency, and User Voice (at 11.00am); Justice Board (at 11.30am)	10:30am	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Scottish Affairs* Subject: Scotland and the UK: cooperation and communication between governments Witnesses: Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP, First Minister of Scotland, and Sir John Elvidge KCB, Permanent Secretary, Scottish Executive; Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and Robert Gordon, Director General, Justice and Communities (at 11.30am)	10:30am	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
International Development Subject: DFID's Programme in Nepal Witnesses: Merlin, VSO, and Professor Anthony Costello; Dr Mary Hobley, and Professor Mick Moore (at 11.30am)	10:30am	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Defence* Subject: Defence Equipment 2010 Witnesses: Bernard Gray, and LEK Consulting; Rt Hon Lord Drayson, Minister of State, and Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence (at 11.30am)	10:30am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Business, Innovation and Skills
Subject: Company takeovers, mergers and acquisitions
Witnesses: Professor Christopher Bones, Henley Business School; Unite the Union (at 11.15am); Ian Lucas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (at 12.00pm)

10:30am The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Justice
Subject: Pre-appointment hearing: HM Chief Inspector, Crown Prosecution Service
Witnesses: Michael Fuller, Chief Constable of Kent Police (preferred candidate)

3:15pm The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Wednesday 13 January

Energy and Climate Change Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy Witnesses: Sustainable Development Commission; Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth, RSPB, and WWF (at 10.15am)	9:15am	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Science and Technology Subject: Geoengineering Witnesses: Dr Jason J Blackstock, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canada, Dr David Keith, Director, ISEEE Energy and Environmental Systems Group, and John Virgoe, expert in geoengineering governance	9:30am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Work and Pensions Subject: Local Housing Allowance Witnesses: Shelter, Citizens Advice, and Mencap; National Landlords Association, British Property Federation, and Scottish Association of Landlords (at 10.30am)	9:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Children, Schools and Families Subject: Sure Start Children's Centres Witnesses: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Royal College of General Practitioners, and Royal College of Midwives; Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, Department for Children, Schools and Families, and Liz Railton, Chief Executive, Together for Children (at 10.30am)	9:30am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Scottish Affairs* Subject: (i) Banking in Scotland (ii) The Scotland Office White Paper and the recommendations of the Calman Commission Witnesses: (i) Lord Myners CBE, Financial Services Secretary, HM Treasury (ii) Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Scotland (at 3.00pm)	2:30pm	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Transport Subject: The draft National Policy Statement for ports Witnesses: Town and Country Planning Association, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and Planning and Environment Bar Association; Local Government Association, and Regional Development Agencies (at 3.30pm); County Surveyors' Society, Highways Agency, Network Rail, and Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (at 4.15pm)	2:45pm	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs* Subject: Defra's food strategy Witnesses: Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	3:00pm	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Energy and Climate Change Subject: The Proposals for National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy Witnesses: Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and WWF	3:05pm	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts Subject: Venture capital support to small businesses Witnesses: Simon Fraser, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Rory Earley, Chief Executive, Capital for Enterprise Ltd	3:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Thursday 14 January

Welsh Affairs Subject: Leighton Andrews The National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Education) Order 2010 Witnesses: Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Welsh Assembly Government; Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (at 10.20am)	9:35am	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Public Administration Subject: Government Communications Witnesses: Matt Tee, Permanent Secretary, Government Communications, Cabinet Office	10:00am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Health Subject: Commissioning Witnesses: Professor Andrew Street, Professor of Health Economics, University of York, and Dr Peter Brambleby, Director of Public Health, NHS North Yorkshire and York; Professor Rod Griffiths, Chair, National Specialised Commissioning Group, John Murray, Specialised Healthcare Alliance, Deborah Evans, Chief Executive, NHS Bristol, and Teresa Moss, Director, National Specialised Commissioning Team (at 11.15am)	10:00am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Welsh Affairs* Subject: The National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Transport) Order 2010 Witnesses: Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Deputy First Minister for Wales and Minister for the Economy and Transport, Welsh Assembly Government; Wayne David MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (at 11.45am)	11:00am	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster