LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

 

APPC	Association of Professional Political Consultants
Bt	Baronet
CB	Order of the Bath
CBE	Commander (of the Order) of the British Empire
CH	Companion of Honour
Cm	Command Paper
CVO	Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Deb	Debates
DTI	Department of Trade and Industry
FBA	Fellow of the British Academy
FRS	Fellow of the Royal Society
FRSL	Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
GCB	Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath
GCMG	Knight Grand Cross, Order of St Michael and St George
GCVO	Knight Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order
HC	House of Commons
HL	House of Lords
LVO	Lieutenant, Royal Victorian Order
MBE	Member, Order of the British Empire
MC	Military Cross
MP	Member of Parliament
NDPB	Non-Departmental Public Body
NHS	National Health Service
OBE	Officer of the Order of the British Empire
QC	Queen's Counsel
QPM	Queen's Police Medal
RD	Royal Navy Reserve Decoration
RN	Royal Navy
Rt Hon	The Right Honourable
SO	Standing Orders
TD	Territorial Efficiency Decoration
UK	United Kingdom
UKCC	United Kingdom Central Council
WA	Written Answer

ABOUT THE COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

The then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon John Major MP, announced the setting up of the Committee on Standards in Public Life in the House of Commons on 25 October 1994 with the following terms of reference:

To examine current concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office, including arrangements relating to financial and commercial activities, and make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements which might be required to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life.

For these purposes, public office should include: Ministers, civil servants and advisers; Members of Parliament and UK Members of the European Parliament; Members and senior officers of all non-departmental public bodies and of national health service bodies; non-ministerial office holders; members and other senior officers of other bodies discharging publicly-funded functions; and elected members and senior officers of local authorities.
(Hansard (HC) 25 October 1994, col 758)

Mr Major made it clear that the remit of the Committee does not extend to investigating individual allegations of misconduct.

On 12 November 1997 the terms of reference were extended by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Tony Blair MP: "To review issues in relation to the funding of political parties, and to make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements".

The Committee on Standards in Public Life has been constituted as a standing body with its members appointed for renewable periods of up to three years. Lord Neill succeeded the Rt Hon Lord Nolan as Chairman on 10 November 1997.

Lord Neill of Bladen QC
(Chairman)

Ann Abraham Professor Alice Brown Lord Goodhart QC Rt Hon John MacGregor OBE MP Sir William Utting CB

Sir Clifford Boulton GCB Sir Anthony Cleaver Frances Heaton Rt Hon Lord Shore of Stepney

The Committee is assisted by a small secretariat:

Sarah Tyerman (Secretary), Christine Salmon (Assistant Secretary), Andrew Brewster, Nassar Hameed (to 30 April 2000), Harsha Pitrola (to 27 October 2000), Neil Simpson (from 28 February to 27 October 2000), Rani Dhamu, Ann-Marie Lugay (to 28 September 2000), Philip Aylett (Press Secretary).

Advice and assistance to the Committee for this study was also provided by:

Ailsa Henderson, Researcher (from August 2000), Hamish Dibley, Research Assistant (from 7 August to 22 September 2000), Radio Technical Services Ltd for the provision of sound recording, Palantype Services Ltd for the provision of transcription services during the public hearings; and Heather Bliss for editing the draft report.

Expenditure

The estimated gross expenditure of the Committee on this study to the end of October 2000 is £378,231. This includes staff costs; the cost of printing and distributing (in April 2000) 4,500 copies of a paper setting out the key issues and questions which the Committee would address; costs associated with public hearings which were held at One Great George Street, London from 26 June to 17 July 2000; and estimated costs of printing, publishing and distributing this report.

Committee on Standards in Public Life
35 Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BQ
Tel: 0207 276 2595
Fax: 0207 276 2585
Email: neill@gtnet.gov.uk
Internet: www.public-standards.gov.uk

We welcome your comments on this site. Prepared 16 November 2000