The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, previously known as the Public Administration Select Committee, is a committee designated by the British House of Commons. Its purpose is to scrutinize reports from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, address issues pertaining to the quality of administration delivered by civil service departments, and explore various matters concerning the civil service, primarily in England and Wales, as well as constitutional affairs.

It is the principal select committee to which Cabinet Office ministers are accountable and thus handles pre appointment and accountability hearings for independent officers, with an independent civil society or cross departmental role, such as the First Civil Service Commissioner, the chair of the UK Statistics Authority and the chair of the Charity Commission.

The committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry, within its overall terms of reference; however, it seeks evidence from a wide variety of individuals and groups with relevant interests and experience. The members of the committee are elected by their peers from any political party, and the committee itself mainly publishes its results through reports and making its recommendations known to the government.

Chairs Committee chairs include those listed below.https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/327/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/membership/former/https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/128/public-administration-committee/membership/former/

NameStartEndPartyConstituencyLabourCardiff WestLabourCannock ChaseConservativeHarwich and North EssexConservativeHazel GroveConservativeThurrockpresentConservativeNorth Dorset

Membership Membership of the committee is as follows:

Member Party Constituency Simon Hoare MP (Chair) Conservative North Dorset Richard Baker MP Labour Glenrothes and Mid Fife Markus Campbell-Savours MP Labour Penrith and Solway Charlotte Cane MP Liberal Democrats Ely and East Cambridgeshire Sam Carling MP Labour North West Cambridgeshire Lauren Edwards MP Labour Rochester and Strood Peter Lamb MP Labour Crawley John Lamont MP Conservative Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk Richard Quigley MP Labour Isle of Wight West Luke Taylor MP Liberal Democrats Sutton and Cheam Michelle Welsh MP Labour Sherwood Forest

Changes since 2024 Date Outgoing Member& Party Constituency → New Member& Party Constituency Source 6 January 2025 John Grady MP (Labour) Glasgow East → Sam Carling MP (Labour) North West Cambridgeshire Hansard

2019–2024 Parliament The chair was elected on 29 January 2020, with the members of the committee being announced on 2 March 2020.

Member Party Constituency William Wragg MP (chair) ConservativeHazel Grove Ronnie Cowan MP SNP Inverclyde Jackie Doyle-Price MP (chair) ConservativeThurrock Chris Evans MP Labour and Co-op Islwyn Rachel Hopkins MP Labour Luton South David Jones MP Conservative Clwyd West David Mundell MP Conservative Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP Labour Brighton Kemptown Tom Randall MP Conservative Gedling Karin Smyth MP Labour Bristol South John Stevenson MP Conservative Carlisle

Changes 2019-2024 Date Outgoing Memberand Party Constituency → New Memberand Party Constituency Source 21 September 2020 Chris Evans MP (Labour and Co-op) Islwyn → Navendu Mishra MP (Labour) Stockport Hansard 22 February 2021 Navendu Mishra MP (Labour) Stockport → John McDonnell MP (Labour) Hayes and Harlington Hansard 17 May 2022 Rachel Hopkins MP (Labour) Luton South → Beth Winter MP (Labour) Cynon Valley Hansard 21 November 2022David Mundell MP (Conservative)Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale →Damien Moore MP (Conservative)Southport Hansard 6 December 2022Jackie Doyle-Price MP (Conservative)Thurrock →Jo Gideon MP (Conservative)Stoke-on-Trent Central Hansard15 April 2024William Wragg MP (Chair, Independent)Hazel Grove→VacantHansard8 May 2024Vacant→Jackie Doyle-Price MP (Chair, Conservative)ThurrockHansard

2017–2019 Parliament The election of the chair took place on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017.

Member Party Constituency Bernard Jenkin MP (Chair) Conservative Harwich and North Essex Ronnie Cowan MP SNP Inverclyde Paul Flynn MP Labour Newport West Marcus Fysh MP Conservative Yeovil Cheryl Gillan MP Conservative Chesham and Amersham Kelvin Hopkins MP Labour Luton North Rupa Huq MP Labour Ealing Central and Acton David Jones MP Conservative Clwyd West Sandy Martin MP Labour Ipswich David Morris MP Conservative Morecambe and Lunesdale

Changes 2017-2019 Date Outgoing Memberand Party Constituency → New Memberand Party Constituency Source 15 January 2018 New seat → Sarah Champion MP (Labour) Rotherham Hansard 4 June 2018 Sarah Champion MP (Labour) Rotherham → Tulip Siddiq MP (Labour) Hampstead and Kilburn Hansard 17 February 2019 Paul Flynn MP (Labour) Newport West → Vacant Death of member 25 February 2019 Sandy Martin MP (Labour) Ipswich → Eleanor Smith MP (Labour) Wolverhampton South West Hansard

2015–2017 Parliament The election of the chair took place on 18 June 2015, with the members of the committee being announced on 6 July 2015.

Member Party Constituency Bernard Jenkin MP (Chair) Conservative Harwich and North Essex Ronnie Cowan MP SNP Inverclyde Oliver Dowden MP Conservative Hertsmere Paul Flynn MP Labour Newport West Cheryl Gillan MP Conservative Chesham and Amersham Kate Hoey MP Labour Vauxhall Kelvin Hopkins MP Labour Luton North David Jones MP Conservative Clwyd West Gerald Jones MP Labour Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Tom Tugendhat MP Conservative Tonbridge and Malling Andrew Turner MP Conservative Isle of Wight

Changes 2015-2017 Date Outgoing Memberand Party Constituency → New Memberand Party Constituency Source 31 October 2016 Oliver Dowden MP (Conservative) Hertsmere → Marcus Fysh MP (Conservative) Yeovil Hansard David Jones MP (Conservative) Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Adam Holloway MP (Conservative) Gravesham Tom Tugendhat MP (Conservative) Tonbridge and Malling Dan Poulter MP (Conservative) Central Suffolk and North Ipswich 19 December 2016 Adam Holloway MP (Conservative) Gravesham → John Stevenson MP (Conservative) Carlisle Hansard

2010-2015 Parliament The election of the chair took place on 10 June 2010, with the members of the committee being announced on 12 July 2010.

Member Party Constituency Bernard Jenkin MP (Chair) Conservative Harwich and North Essex Kevin Brennan MP Labour Cardiff West Nick de Bois MP Conservative Enfield North Michael Dugher MP Labour Barnsley East Charlie Elphicke MP Conservative Dover Paul Flynn MP Labour Newport West Robert Halfon MP Conservative Harlow Greg Mulholland MP Liberal Leeds North West Charles Walker MP Conservative Broxbourne

Changes 2010-2015 Date Outgoing Memberand Party Constituency → New Memberand Party Constituency Source 26 July 2010 New seat → David Heyes MP (Labour) Ashton-under-Lyne Hansard Jon Trickett MP (Labour) Hemsworth 2 November 2010 Jon Trickett MP (Labour) Hemsworth → Lindsay Roy MP (Labour) Glenrothes Hansard 17 January 2011 Kevin Brennan MP (Labour) Cardiff West → Kelvin Hopkins MP (Labour) Luton North Hansard 9 May 2011 Charles Walker MP (Conservative) Broxbourne → Alun Cairns MP (Conservative) Vale of Glamorgan Hansard 5 December 2011 Nick de Bois MP (Conservative) Enfield North → Priti Patel MP (Conservative) Witham Hansard 10 December 2012 Michael Dugher MP (Labour) Barnsley East → Steve Reed MP (Labour Co-op) Croydon North Hansard 4 November 2013 Charlie Elphicke MP (Conservative) Dover → Andrew Turner MP (Conservative) Isle of Wight Hansard 11 November 2013 Steve Reed MP (Labour) Croydon North → Sheila Gilmore MP(Labour) Edinburgh East Hansard 12 May 2014 Alun Cairns MP (Conservative) Vale of Glamorgan → Cheryl Gillan MP (Conservative) Chesham and Amersham Hansard 12 May 2014 Robert Halfon MP (Conservative) Harlow → Adam Holloway MP (Conservative) Gravesham Hansard 23 June 2014 Priti Patel MP (Conservative) Witham → Nigel Evans MP (Conservative) Ribble Valley Hansard

Reports A March 2004 report considered the prerogative powers of Ministers.

A major report published in July 2011 addressed procurement of Information Technology by the government and found there was an over-reliance "on a small 'oligopoly' of large suppliers", which some witnesses before the Committee had described as a 'cartel'.House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, Government and IT - "a recipe for rip-offs": time for a new approach, Volume 1, page 3, published 28 July 2011, accessed 30 July 2021 An independent comment given prominence in the report described the UK as "a world leader in ineffective IT schemes for government".Dunleavy, P., Margetts, H., Tinkler, J., and Bastow, S. (2006), Digital Era Governance: IT corporations, the state, and e-government, Oxford University Press.p. 70, quoted in Government and IT - "a recipe for rip-offs": time for a new approach, Volume 1, page 6 The Office of Fair Trading investigated but did not find sufficient evidence either to confirm that suppliers had been acting in breach of competition law, or to exonerate them.Feaster-Gee, T., Kilduff, D., Parting shot from OFT regarding supply of ICT to the public sector, Walker Morris, published 16 April 2014, archived 15 May 2021, accessed 15 November 2022 The government welcomed "the Committee's interest in and support for government Information and Communication Technology" and in response noted in particular that the government was "in the process of breaking the contractual lock-in which places the majority of ICT business with a small group of major systems integrators", and "working to improve the quality of its ICT management information".UK Government, Memorandum to the Public Administration Select Committee. Government Response to the Public Administration Select Committee’s report: Government and IT – "a recipe for rip-offs": time for a new approach: Further Report, with the Government Response to the Committee’s Twelfth Report of Session 2010 - 12, March 2012, accessed 26 November 2022

Reports published in 2021 include The role and status of the Prime Minister’s Office, published in June 2021.UK Parliament, The role and status of the Prime Minister’s Office, published 9 June 2021, accessed 30 July 2021

In 2022 the committee reported on government ethics. Committee chair William Wragg stated a "robust" system was needed to uphold standards "with proper sanctions for those who break the rules". The committee was also concerned the government maintained its coming ethics adviser would not look into what happened round Suella Braverman's resignation. MP's on the committee stated the government should not be able to decide what the adviser, not yet appointed, could investigate. In its report, the committee also stated there should be legal action against former ministers who broke rules through taking certain jobs after leaving officed. Former ministers should look for advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments but ministers cannot be made to accept this committee's advice.Suella Braverman reappointment sets dangerous precedent - MPs BBC The record of the current government was strongly criticised. The committee want the ethics adviser to be able to carry out inquiries into historical behaviour.Braverman return sets ‘dangerous precedent’, says Commons committee The Guardian

See also Parliamentary committees of the United Kingdom

References

External links Public Administration Select Committee page on UK Parliament website Records for this Committee are held at the Parliamentary Archives