Independence Of The Audit Commission

EDM number 642 in 1990-91, proposed by Tony Benn on 25/03/1991.

That this House, recognising the fundamental constitutional importance of the principle that the Audit Commission should be entirely free from political and Ministerial control or influence, and the fact that the authority of the reports it issues depends upon the maintenance of that principle, expresses its grave concern that this principle has been breached, following the publication of a letter from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of the Environment to a Member of this House, in which he indicates that he has had contact with the Audit Commissiion in respect of a report that the Commission is engaged in preparing; and calls for a full disclosure by the Chairman of the Audit Commission of all the Ministerial correspondence or other contacts that there have been relating to their report on Derbyshire.

This motion has been signed by a total of 22 MPs.