TNAG-1838-FCO40-2613-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 71

MANAGEMENT IN CONFIDENCE

4.

The Committee consists of 11 "backbench" MPs (ie Members

not holding Ministerial or Opposition portfolios) nominated by the House. The Chairman, who is elected by the

Committee, is currently the Rt Hon David Howell MP, a former

Secretary of State for Energy and for Transport.

5. The Committee has the traditional powers of Select

Committees:

a) to send for persons, papers and records,

b) to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House,

c) to adjourn from place to place,

d) to report from time to time, and

e) to appoint specialist advisers.

However, in addition to exercising these formal powers it has developed a practice of informal meetings both at Westminster and during its travels abroad when it exchanges views with distinguished foreign statesmen and experts

usually on an off-the-record and unattributable basis.

6.

Thus the Foreign Affairs Committee is not just another

group of MPs. A visit often presents the Head of Mission with delicate problems. The Members tend to judge the

Mission, and hence the Diplomatic Service as a whole, not

only by their reception and programme arrangements, but also

by the response of the Mission to their requests for

information. It is therefore important that Missions

"should be as forthcoming as they can" (paragraph 20 of the Memorandum of Guidance). However, the proviso that they

should do so "within the limits set out in this note" is

equally important: and special attention is drawn to

paragraphs 22, 30 (notably sub-paragraph (vi)) and 48.

MANAGEMENT IN CONFIDENCE

/Written