Role in Parliament

In June 2010 I was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Sir George Young Bt MP and to his Deputy David Heath MP.

A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Minister's assistant in Parliament. He or she is the 'eyes and ears' of the Minister in the House of Commons. It is an unpaid role.

 I am also additionally the PPS to Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, the Minister for Decentralisation and Localism responsible for planning, in order to help steer through Parliament the Localism Bill and the new National Planning Policy Framework which will introduce the planning reforms set out in my paper - Open Source Planning.

Greg Clark MP, speaking about my contribution to the Localism Bill, said:

"I thank my parliamentary private secretary, the hon. Member for Henley (John Howell), whose seminal paper, "Open Source Planning", was the source of inspiration for many of the policies in the Bill."

The Guardian described me as "the architect of the government's planning reforms"

The Coalition Agreement makes it clear that the principles of Open Source Planning will underpin the Government's reforms to the planning system which are widely seen as the most radical since 1947.

A video presentation I made for a Bank Paribas Real Estate conference on our planning reforms can be found via this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XhGPkPmP8c  You can also read the interview the Guardian conducted with me.

I also chair the Planning Sounding Board which was set up prior to the election by the Conservative Party as a means of engaging the development industry with planning reform.

During the 2005-2010 Parliament I was a member of the Shadow Communities and Local Government team under Caroline Spelman MP in which role I provided support across a range of issues to shadow ministers.

 During the 2005-2010 Parliament I was also the party's champion on child poverty issues.

I have also represened Parliament in the following capacities:

• as a trustee of the Community Development Foundation (until 2010)
• as a trustee of the Industry and Parliament Trust
• as a Vice-President of the Local Government Association in 2010-2011


Select committees

As a Parliamentary Private Secretary I do not sit on Select Committees. During the 2005-10 Parliament I was a member of the influential Work and Pensions select committee which put me at the heart of the debate about the future of the welfare system.

Select committees are cross-party groups of MPs. Those such as the Work and Pensions Select Committee which have a remit covering a Whitehall ministry are a vital check on government.


Parliamentary inquiries

To date I have participated in a number of important inquiries. These have covered:

  • Valuing and supporting carers
  • The way the Department for Work and Pensions commissions services particularly to help people into employment
  • The Equalities Bill
  • Pensioner poverty
  • Appeals and decision-making in the DWP
  • Local Housing Allowance
  • Decision making and appeals in the benefits system
  • The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the CSA's Operational Improvement Plan
  • Management and administration of contracted employment

Public bill committees

I have sat on a number of public bill committees which scrutinise bills line-by-line after their 2nd reading. These have included:

  • Financial Services Bill
  • The Child Poverty Bill
  • The Welfare Reform Bill
  • The Corporation Tax Bill
  • The Savings Gateway Bill
  • The Dormant Bank and Building Society accounts Bill
  • The Finance Bill 2009
  • The Equalities Bill
  • The Bribery Bill
  • The Localism Bill

Westminster report

Westminster Report Winter 2009 (20 Jan 2010)

Download (pdf, 1304kb)


Westminster Report Summer 2009 (25 Jul 2009)

Download (pdf, 4069kb)



Statement of Parliamentary Budgets and Allowances

Interim statement of allowances 2010-2011 (21 Jul 2011)

Download (pdf, 198kb)


Statement of allowances to March 2010 (09 Dec 2010)

Download (pdf, 63kb)


Statement of Allowances and Budgets 2008-09 (20 Jan 2010)

By clicking on the attachments on this page you can view my statement of parliamentary budgets and allowances (commonly referred to as 'expenses') for the year 2008-2009. These have been audited by chartered accountants, Sloan & Co. You can also find the interim statement for 2009-2010 and the running schedule of current expenses which are posted as claims are made.

On 12 October 2009 Sir Thomas Legg KCB QC wrote to MPs following the conclusion of his review of costs incurred by MPs under their Additional Costs Allowance during the years 2004-05 to 2008-09. In his letter to me he states "I have not identified any payments made to you under the ACA during the review period which I consider call for any repayment or further supporting evidence to be provided by you. Accordingly, my conclusion is that no action is required from you in this matter."

Download (PDF, 134kb)



There is not a day which goes past without my being conscious of the enormous privilege it is to be an MP. On this page I have set out some of the areas of my work in Westminster and some of the debates in which I have participated and the bills with which I have been involved.

Speeches

Debates in which I have spoken include:

  • Emerging economies
  • Child Poverty in London
  • Financial Services Bill
  • Pensioner poverty
  • Local Government Finances
  • Economic recovery and welfare
  • Local Spending Reports
  • Child Poverty Bill
  • National Policy Statements
  • The Finance Bill
  • The Budget 2009
  • Welfare reform
  • Local and regional news
  • Rating and valuation in ports
  • Carers
  • Local Government finance
  • Heathrow's third runway
  • Thames Valley Police
  • Work, skills, welfare
  • The economic crisis
  • Reports from the Public Accounts Committee
  • Banking
  • The Government's fiscal rules
  • Fuel Duty

Performance

 

 

 

 

 

A number of web-sites aim to track what MPs do in Westminster. One of the best known is www.theyworkforyou.com   Although the information collected is often partial and inconsistent, the link below will allow access to my speeches and the oral and written questions I have asked.

By clicking on the link below you will be leaving this site and entering a separate, independent, third party domain. By following this link you are confirming that you understand and acknowledge this.

If you wish to leave this site to enter www.theyworkforyou.com please click the link below.

John Howell MP performance