Introduction

From the publication of MP’s allowances to the election of the new speaker today - it is indeed a busy time. Events of interest this week are listed below including first and foremost an updated list of all government ministers.

Update of Government Ministers

http://www.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/government_and_opposition/hmg.cfm

This Week in Parliament

Monday 22nd June

House of Commons, Main Chamber, 2.30pm Election of a New Speaker

Tuesday 23rd June

House of Commons,12.30pm - 1pm

Regulation of the insurance industry – Mr Tom Harris MP (Labour), Westminster Hall

House of Commons, 10.30am

Finance Bill Committee
Committee Room 10, Palace of Westminster

House of Commons, 9.45am, Treasury
Banking Crisis: Public Regulation
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Wednesday 24th June

House of Commons, 2.30pm Treasury Select Committee
(i) May 2009 Inflation Report (ii) Banking Crisis: Regulation and Supervision
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

House of Commons, 3.30pm Public Accounts

Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections in Hospitals in England

House of Lords, Grand Committee, Orders and Regulations

Dunfermline Building Society Compensation Scheme, Resolution Fund and Third Party Compensation Order 2009 Amendments to Law (Resolution of Dunfermline Building Society) (No. 2) Order 2009 Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2009 – Lord Davies of Oldham

House of Lords Select Committee, 4.30pm EU Sub-Committee E: Law and Institutions

Recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters
Committee Room 2A, Palace of Westminster

Thursday 25th June

House of Commons, 9am Finance Bill Committee
To consider the Bill, & 1.00pm
Committee Room 10, Palace of Westminster

House of Lords, Main Chamber, Debate, Role of the NHS - Lord Walton of Detchant

Last Weeks Debates

Tuesday 16th June

Banks: Closures

David Evenett MP (Conservative) asked the Treasury how many bank branches have been closed in the last six months by banks in which the Government has purchased a shareholding in the last two years http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090616/text/90616w0022.htm#column_243W

Wednesday 17th June

Bradford and Bingley

Alan Meale MP (Labour) asked the Treasury on what date Ministers in his Department asked departmental officials to draft proposals to take the Bradford and Bingley Building Society into public ownership

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090617/text/90617w0010.htm#column_323W

Friday 19th June

Child Trust Fund: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster MP (Conservative) the Treasury how many child trust vouchers have been issued to residents in Milton Keynes North East constituency
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090619/text/90619w0010.htm

The Group is committed to supporting mutuality in building societies and financial mutuals. The Group has an active programme and in the last two years has had frontbenchers from the three main political parties address its members. Kitty Ussher MP, formerly Economic Secretary to the Treasury; Mark Hoban MP, Shadow Minister for the Treasury and the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Shadow Chancellor, have all appeared before the Group. The Financial Services Authority also comes to speak to the Group regularly.

The Group has undertaken two Short Inquiries. In 2004, the Group carried out a successful Short Inquiry into the contribution mutual businesses make to the economy and society. In 2005, the Group looked at how well consumers had been well served by demutualisation. As a result, a further Inquiry into these questions was undertaken and in March 2006, the Group published its findings in a report entitled ‘Windfalls or Shortfalls? The true cost of demutualisation’.

Officers

Chairman: Adrian Bailey MP (Labour/Co-op, West Bromwich West)

Vice Chairmen:
Sir John Butterfill MP (Conservative, Bournemouth West)
Sir Nicholas Winterton MP (Conservative, Macclesfield)
Baroness Maddock (Liberal Democrat)
Rt Hon Lord Naseby (Conservative)
Joan Walley MP (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent North)

Hon. Treasurer: Kelvin Hopkins MP (Labour, Luton North)
Hon. Secretary: Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP (Labour/Co-op, Portsmouth North)

Matthew Ball is Administrative Secretary to the Group. m.ball@mutuo.co.uk

The All Party Group on Employee Ownership was formed in June 2007 in response to growing interest in the role of a sector in which businesses substantially or majority owned by their own employees have achieved combined turnover of at least £20-25 billion annually.

The All Party Group consists of 80 Members from both Houses of Parliament. The purpose of the group is to examine the contribution of the co-owned business sector to the UK economy.

In 2008, the Group launched a Short Inquiry into the sector’s performance and contribution to the UK economy, given the implications of the sector’s scale and growth for policy makers; businesses who might wish to adopt this ownership model, finance it or advise on it; the field of business education and research; and employee owned companies themselves. In May 2008, the Group published its findings in a report entitled ‘Share Value – How employee ownership is changing the face of business’.

Officers

Chair: Vacant

Vice Chairmen:
Mark Field MP (Conservative, Cities of London and Westminster)
David Howarth MP (Liberal Democrat, Cambridge)
Treasurer: Lord Best (Crossbencher)
Secretary: Jeremy Wright MP (Conservative, Rugby and Kenilworth)

Matthew Ball is Administrative Secretary to the Group. m.ball@mutuo.co.uk

Download their report here: nhs-ft-review

Mutuals are organisations that are owned by, and run for the benefit of, their current and future members.

Mutuals take many forms and operate in a wide range of business and social environments. Most people recognise mutuals through one or more of the long established building societies, co-operatives, friendly societies and mutual insurers. But the sector encompasses many more types of organisations – some large and well established like housing associations, clubs and employee owned businesses to smaller, specialist bodies such as credit unions, football supporter trusts and community mutuals.

In recent years, many new mutuals have sprung from the public sector – new independent organisations providing public services, such as NHS Foundation Trusts, Leisure Trusts, Co-operative schools and community mutual surestart schemes.

Then there are the wide range of membership organisations that fulfil important roles in the culture and society of our nation – all operating in the interest of their members, providing services and enriching peoples’ lives.

The last ten years have seen a transformation of the UK mutual sector. Financial mutuals head the way in providing market leading products through building societies, friendly societies and mutual insurers. Consumer co-operatives are dynamic and growing, increasing their market share and driving standards of social responsibility. Employee owned businesses make a thriving contribution to the UK economy.

New Mutuals continue to be established across an exciting range of sectors – most recently in health care and education. Government has boosted the sector with new legislation and policy initiatives that have sustained these developments, all with the positive support of Opposition parties.

What all of these membership based organisations share is a common heritage and ethos – to serve their members and work in the wider interests of society.

Peter has been Chief Executive of Mutuo since 2001, which he founded as the first cross mutual sector body to promote mutual governance to opinion formers and decision makers.

Peter has fifteen years’ experience in the mutual sector, working with co-operatives, mutuals and employee owned businesses.

In 1999, he was a co-founder and secretary of Supporters Direct, the football supporters’ initiative, which has gone on to establish over 100 supporters’ trusts at professional football clubs.

In 2002 and 2003, he led the Parliamentary team which piloted three Private Members Bills through Parliament, updating Mutual Society law and encouraging democratic employee ownership. In 2007, he added the Building Societies (Funding) and Mutuals Societies (Transfers) Act to this tally.

Since 2004, he has worked closely on a number of public sector structural reforms, including NHS Foundation Trusts, advising both Government and Trust Boards on the adoption of new membership structures.

He recently led the Mutuo teams in major constitutional and governance reviews by the Co-operative Group and Nominet.

For the last ten years, Matthew has worked as a public affairs specialist. He provides advice and support to mutual sector trade associations and works with Government to seek to influence the public policy agenda to expand the mutual sector.

He is Secretary to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Building Societies and Financial Mutuals and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Employee Ownership.

He has project managed three All Party Parliamentary inquiries:

• Building societies and Financial Mutuals Inquiry (2005)
• Windfalls or shortfalls: the true cost of demutualisation (2006)
• Fair Shares: The contribution of employee owned business in the UK (2008)

Matthew also provided research and logistical support to the Co-operative Group constitutional review in 2007.

As well as working as a consultant with Mutuo, Cliff Mills is a consultant at Cobbetts, solicitors in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. He is a leading expert in corporate governance and the law of mutual and co-operative organisations.

With a background acting for the large retail co-operative societies on mergers, constitutional and governance issues, with Mutuo he has argued the case for the development of new models of co-operative and mutual ownership for use across public services.

He led the team at Cobbetts which supported many of the first NHS foundation trusts on establishing their new governance structures, and he works extensively with their boards of directors and governors. He served on the Department of Health’s External Reference Group on governance matters.

He has designed new models of ownership for providers of out of hours primary care services, and a variety of other areas including children’s services (Sure Start), leisure services and social housing.

‘Consumer confidence in mutuals still high’ - Microsoft Business 29 May 2009

‘Britannia votes to merge with Co-operative Financial Services’- Financial Times 29 April 2009

‘A mutual desire to be at the centre of banking’ - Neville Richardson interview in The Observer 5 April 2009

‘Banker coins in success amid misfortunes of bigger rivals’ - The Scotsman 9 March 2009

- ‘Co-op acquires Somerfield’ (Peter Marks interview) - The Guardian 6 March 2009

‘This is the dawning of the age of the mutual’ - The Times 3 March 2009

‘Savers open 1 million new building society accounts’ - Daily Telegraph 3 March 2009

‘Britannia and Co-op merger to create super-mutual’ - Daily Telegraph 21 January 2009

Sir John Butterfill MP

The Act can be read here

The Order can be read here