House of Lords written statement – made at on 21 March 2013.
Baroness Northover
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip), Lords Spokesperson (Department for International Development)
My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for International Development has made the following Statement.
The Department for International Development (DfID) will shortly commence the triennial review of its oversight arrangements for the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI).
The Government made a commitment regularly to review public bodies, with the aim of increasing accountability for actions carried out on behalf of the state.
The ICAI's strategic aim is to provide independent scrutiny of UK aid spending, to promote the delivery of value for money for British taxpayers and to maximise the impact of aid. In accordance with the DfID-ICAI Memorandum of Understanding, a robust and rigorous review of ICAI must take place by the end of 2013 to assess the continuing need for an independent scrutiny function and the associated governance arrangements.
The review will be conducted in line with relevant Cabinet Office guidance, in two stages.
The first stage will:
identify and examine the key functions of the ICAI and assess how these functions contribute to the core business of DfID; assess the requirement for these to continue; andif continuing, assess how the key functions might best be delivered; if one of these options is continuing delivery through the ICAI, then make an assessment against the Government's three tests: technical function; political impartiality; and the need for independence from Ministers.
If the outcome of stage one is that delivery should continue through the ICAI, the second stage of the review will ensure that it is operating in line with the recognised principles of good corporate governance, using the Cabinet Office comply or explain standard approach.
Full terms of reference for the review will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available on the DfID website: www.dfid.gov.uk
The outcome will be announced in Parliament by the end of December.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
When speaking in the House of Commons, an MP will refer to another MP of the same party who is a member of the Privy Council as "my Right Honourable Friend"
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
