Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission
On Tuesday, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee will hold a pre-appointment hearing with Baroness Deech, the Government’s preferred candidate for the position of Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC).
Meeting details
PACAC’s questioning of the proposed Chair of HOLAC comes in the context of continued controversy surrounding appointments to the House of Lords and following a challenging period in which HOLAC publicly recommended for the first time that a Prime Minister not appoint a particular individual to the House of Lords as that individual did not meet the required level of propriety.
HOLAC is an independent, advisory, non-departmental public body sponsored and funded by the Cabinet Office, and was established in 2000.
The Commission is responsible for recommending potential crossbench members of the House of Lords and is also responsible for vetting for propriety all nominations to the House, including candidates put forward by political parties.
The Chairmanship of HOLAC is subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
Likely areas of questioning
In next week’s session, MPs will consider Baroness Deech’s suitability for the post of Chair of HOLAC and will discuss the priorities of the new Chair if the appointment is endorsed.
Baroness Ruth Deech was appointed as a Crossbench Peer on the recommendation of HOLAC in 2005 and has had a distinguished academic, legal and public service career.