The Administration of the House of Commons

A motion agreed by the House on 10 September 2014 set up the House of Commons Governance Committee to consider the way the House was run and the allocation of responsibilities of the Clerk of the House and Chief Executive.

The previous Clerk of the House, Sir Robert Rogers (now Lord Lisvane), retired on 31 August. An open competition was launched over the summer but the Speaker ‘paused’ the competition on 1 September due to some Member concern over the process.

The Governance Committee’s report House of Commons Governance was published on 17 December 2014. The Committee recommended changes to the role and composition of the House of Commons Commission and that the joint role of Clerk of the House of Commons and Chief Executive should be changed. A new Director General of the House of Commons should report to the Clerk of the House and have responsibility for resources and the delivery of all services. The changes to the Commission would require amendment of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978.

The report will be debated on the floor of the House on 22 January 2015.

The House of Commons Commission made a written statement on 21 January 2015, welcoming the work of the Committee, noting that in line with the recommendations of the Committee, the ‘paused’ process for the recruitment of the Clerk of the House had been formally terminated, and that if the House endorses the report on 22 January it will meet additionally on 26 January to take forward implementation.

This second part of this note sets out how the House of Commons is governed, managed and structured at the current time.