HC Deb 23 May 2000 vol 350 cc856-7
31. Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle)

How often the Appointments Commission has met; and if she will make a statement. [121909]

The Parliamentary Secretary, Privy Council Office (Mr. Paddy Tipping)

The Appointments Commission is an independent body, appointed on 4 May. I understand that it has not yet met, but that it will do so soon.

Mr. Prentice

Are we not getting ourselves in a terrible pickle over this Appointments Commission, which will be advised by a firm of chartered accountants as to the persons who are suitable for membership of the second Chamber? Will it be open to the Appointments Commission, under its terms of reference, to appoint people to the upper Chamber by random selection, in the way that juries are appointed? Is that a bizarre suggestion?

Mr. Tipping

Yes.

Sir George Young (North-West Hampshire)

Was not the hereditary principle the random selection to which the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) referred?

Is not the Government's Appointments Commission but a pale shadow of the independent statutory appointments commission that we really need, so as to remove the enormous patronage that remains in the hands of the Prime Minister? At present, he can decide how many peers there will be and the party balance between them. When will the Government respond to the Wakeham commission's proposals on that and on the rest of the report?

Mr. Tipping

Let me remind the right hon. Gentleman that the Conservative party remains predominant in the upper Chamber, with 236 Members. I understand his reluctance to make changes quickly on House of Lords reform. We want to build on the Wakeham report. The independent Appointments Commission is an important first step. If we could arrive at a consensus on the way forward, I hope that we should quickly move to the Wakeham recommendations.