Specialist Committees (Hansard, 26 February 1969)

38. Mr. R. C. Mitchell
asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will give an assurance that it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to seek to establish a system of specialist select committees to investigate regularly the administration of Government Departments.

§ Mr. Peart
The House earlier today approved my proposal for a Specialist Select Committee on Scottish affairs, and I recently announced proposals for a new one on Overseas Aid and Development. The House will, of course, wish in due course to review the progress of this experiment.

Mr. Mitchell
On the surface the Answer sounds very satisfactory, but will the Lord President explain why it has been necessary to kill the Specialist Committee on Agriculture and to threaten with extinction the Select Committee on Education and Science? Surely it is possible to have more Select Committees, if necessary with a smaller membership?

§ Mr. Peart
My hon. Friend should appreciate that there is no attempt to kill any Committee as such. Indeed, my hon. Friends on the Select Committee on Agriculture will know that I welcomed it. The Committees were selected for an experimental period and we are continuing the experiment.

§ Sir J. Langford-Holt
Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the success of these Committees depends upon the will of the House and not upon the will of the Government, and that ample opportunity should be given to the House to decide what their future shall be?

§ Mr. Peart
When the experimental period is over, the House will have to come to a decision.

§ 39. Mr. William Hamilton
asked the Lord President of the Council what steps he is taking to ensure that the proposed new specialist committees, and their possible sub-committees, will be adequately staffed both in quality and in numbers of clerks.

§ Mr. Peart
I believe the success of the specialist select committee is dependent upon the adequate staffing of the Clerk's Department. Discussions are continuing, and I am hopeful that we shall achieve the full complement by the end of the year.

§ Mr. Hamilton
Is my right hon. Friend aware that discussions have been proceeding for a long time, that we are still under establishment and that the existing clerks are under tremendous pressure to carry out the extra load that is, quite rightly, being put upon them in an attempt to control the Executive? Will he say what steps are urgently being taken to get more clerks in the immediate future?

§ Mr. Peart
I am aware of the problem, and I am sure my hon. Friend appreciates that I am always locking at this matter.

§ Mr. Wingfield Digby
By how much has the establishment of clerks gone up since the Specialist Select Committees started?

§ Mr. Peart
I could not give the exact figure. The full complement is 42, and at present there are 39.