John Bercow calls for a debate on the methods used to select the MPs who sit on the various Select Committee's which scrutinise the work of the Government. At the moment the Government chooses which MPs who chair and sit on those committees.

John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): May we please have a debate in Government time on the Floor of the House on the method of composition of our Select Committees? Working on the assumption that, in a modern, healthy, vibrant parliamentary democracy, the Executive should not choose the members of the Committees that scrutinise them, would not such a debate provide an opportunity for the argument to be made for scrapping the present arrangements and replacing them with a sensible system in which the members of Select Committees are elected by a secret ballot of Members of the House?

Ms Harman: Whatever people’s views on the processes for appointing the members and Chairmen of Select Committees, I think that our Select Committees do a damn good job on behalf of the House: they are robust, they are independent, and they are fair-minded and fierce in doing their duty of holding the Executive to account. I can see that there are many ways of twiddling how to get people on to Select Committees, but I would ask, “What’s the problem? If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” I think our Select Committees do a proud job; as soon as Government Members become Chairmen of them, they go native.

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