Welcome to the Speaker’s Committee for the Electoral Commission (known as “the Speaker’s Committee”).
The Committee is a statutory body whose role is defined by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, as amended by subsequent Acts. The work of the Committee relates to the Electoral Commission and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
The Committee determines, and oversees, the procedures for selecting individuals to be put forward for appointment or re-appointment as Electoral Commissioners, and for appointment as the chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The candidates for these posts are then approved by the House of Commons and appointed by the Queen.
The Committee also examines the five-year plans and the estimates of resources needed for both the Electoral Commission and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The Committee must decide whether it is satisfied that the estimates and plans are consistent with the economical, efficient and effective discharge of each body’s functions. If it determines that they are not, it must modify them as necessary to make them so consistent.
In carrying out its work, the Committee is required to consult the Treasury, and to receive reports from the National Audit Office concerning each body’s use of resources. It is also required to report to the House of Commons at least once a year on the way it has carried out its work.
The Committee provides a mechanism for Members of Parliament to ask questions in the House of Commons about the work of the Electoral Commission. The task of answering questions on behalf of the Committee is carried out by one of the appointed members, Mr Gary Streeter MP.
The Committee has a membership of nine, including the Speaker of the House of Commons, who is the Committee’s Chair. The quorum of the Committee is three. For further information on the Committee’s members click here