Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee
The Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created on 7 June 2010.
Remit
The committee was created in response to changes to the machinery of government intended to give the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, responsibility for political and constitutional reform. The functions given to the Deputy Prime Minister are as follows:
- Introducing fixed-term Parliaments
- Legislating to hold a referendum on the alternative vote system for the House of Commons and to create fewer and more equal sized constituencies
- Supporting people with disabilities to become MPs
- Introducing a power for people to recall their MP
- Developing proposals for a wholly or mainly elected second Chamber
- Speeding up implementation of individual voter registration
- Considering the "West Lothian question"
- Introducing a statutory register of lobbyists
- Reforming party funding
- Supporting all postal primaries
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister has ministerial responsibility for the Boundary Commissions, the Electoral Commission, and the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.[1] All of these are therefore within the remit of the committee.
Membership
On 9 June 2010, Graham Allen was elected chair of the committee. He will take up the post formally once the rest of the committee is appointed.