Commissioner for Standards

Lord Martin of Springburn Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd May 2013 Lords Chamber

[The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel)]

My Lords, on 2 June 2010, the House agreed to appoint Mr Paul Kernaghan as the Commissioner for Standards for an initial period of three years. In April of this year, following consultation with the commissioner himself and the chairman of the sub-committee on Lords’ interests, the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, the Clerk of the Parliaments invited the House Committee to agree that Mr Kernaghan should be appointed for a further three years. The House Committee approved the reappointment for a further, final three-year term. I therefore beg to move that the House do extend the term of appointment of Mr Kernaghan to 1 June 2016.

[Lord Martin of Springburn]

My Lords, can the Chairman of Committees give assurances that this will be the final contract? I have no objection to the extension, but there are good reasons for giving a parliamentary commissioner a fixed contract. It would be a worrying situation if, perhaps in 2016, the chairman or another chairman came along and said, “Perhaps we will extend again”. That would be a worry for the House.

[The Chairman of Committees]

I am very happy to give that assurance. That argument has very much been taken on board by the House Committee and this is clearly for a final three-year period.