Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
Encyclopedia
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British
House of Commons
.
He or she is appointed by a Resolution of the House of Commons and works a four-day week.
' conduct and propriety.
One of the Commissioner's main tasks is overseeing the Register of Members' Interests, which is intended to ensure disclosure of financial interests that may be of relevance to MPs' work.
as the first Commissioner, serving the newly formed Committee for Standards and Privileges. He investigated the Cash-for-questions affair
.
The second Commissioner was Elizabeth Filkin
(1999-2002), whose first case involved Peter Mandelson
and a large loan which he had failed to declare in the Register of Members' Interests. Her departure was controversial, with many claiming she was forced out for investigating high-profile MPs too closely.
The next Commissioner was Sir Philip Mawer
. MPs he investigated include George Galloway
and Derek Conway. Unlike his predecessor he was appointed to a second term, but he took up a new post at the beginning of 2008 as an independent adviser on Ministerial standards to Gordon Brown and resigned as Commissioner earlier than expected.
The current Commissioner, John Lyon
CB, commenced his appointment on 1 January 2008. In an article about his questioning by the parliamentary enquiry into MPs' expenses, Private Eye
described him as 'feeble' and an 'establishment stooge'.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
He or she is appointed by a Resolution of the House of Commons and works a four-day week.
Tasks
The Commissioner is in charge of regulating MPsMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
' conduct and propriety.
One of the Commissioner's main tasks is overseeing the Register of Members' Interests, which is intended to ensure disclosure of financial interests that may be of relevance to MPs' work.
History
The post was established in 1995 with Sir Gordon DowneyGordon Downey
Sir Gordon Downey was Britain's first Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards was set up by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in 1995 as a result of recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life...
as the first Commissioner, serving the newly formed Committee for Standards and Privileges. He investigated the Cash-for-questions affair
Cash-for-questions affair
The "Cash-for-questions affair" was one of the biggest political scandals of the 1990s in the United Kingdom.It began in October 1994 when The Guardian newspaper alleged that London's most successful parliamentary lobbyist, Ian Greer of Ian Greer Associates, had bribed two Conservative Members of...
.
The second Commissioner was Elizabeth Filkin
Elizabeth Filkin
Elizabeth Filkin is a British civil servant. She was the United Kingdom's Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards between February 1999 and 2002...
(1999-2002), whose first case involved Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
and a large loan which he had failed to declare in the Register of Members' Interests. Her departure was controversial, with many claiming she was forced out for investigating high-profile MPs too closely.
The next Commissioner was Sir Philip Mawer
Philip Mawer
Sir Philip Mawer was the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from 2002 until 2008 when he became an independent advisor on Ministerial standards to Gordon Brown. He was previously Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England....
. MPs he investigated include George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
and Derek Conway. Unlike his predecessor he was appointed to a second term, but he took up a new post at the beginning of 2008 as an independent adviser on Ministerial standards to Gordon Brown and resigned as Commissioner earlier than expected.
The current Commissioner, John Lyon
John Lyon
John Lyon was an educated man who lived at Harrow on the Hill in North West London. As a wealthy farmer, he was able to endow Harrow School which was founded in 1572, and this led to the creation of The John Lyon School. He established a trust for the maintenance of Harrow Road and Edgware Road...
CB, commenced his appointment on 1 January 2008. In an article about his questioning by the parliamentary enquiry into MPs' expenses, Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
described him as 'feeble' and an 'establishment stooge'.
External links
- Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards: official website
- Register of Members' Interests
- Josh Chafetz, "Cleaning House: Congressional Commissioners for Standards," Yale Law Journal, vol. 117, no. 1, pp. 165-73