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Series

HM Treasury and Civil Service Department: Ceremonial Branch: Political Honours Scrutiny...

Catalogue reference: T 352

What's it about?

T 352

Files of the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee.

Full description and record details

Reference
T 352
Title
HM Treasury and Civil Service Department: Ceremonial Branch: Political Honours Scrutiny Committee (PHSC Series) Files
Date
1907-1993
Description

Files of the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee.

Related material

Surviving records of the Royal Commission on Honours appointed in 1922 are in T 348

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
PHSC file series
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Creator(s)
  • Civil Service Department, Ceremonial Branch, 1968-1981
  • Treasury, Ceremonial Branch, 1937-1968
Physical description
53 file(s)
Access conditions
Open unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition

From 2010 Cabinet Office

Accruals
Series is accruing.
Selection and destruction information
Policy and innovative administration files are selected, under the Acquisition Policy criterion, formulation of policy and management of public resources by the core executive.
Administrative / biographical background

The Report of the Royal Commission on Honours in 1922 (Cmd 1789) recommended that a committee of the Privy Council be appointed to scrutinise recommendations for honours for political services and report its findings to the Prime Minister. This recommendation was adopted and scrutiny committees have examined all subsequent recommendations for honours for political services. The first secretary was required to be an assistant secretary in the Treasury and was appointed by order of the Lords of the Privy Council. By the 1960s it had become normal practice for one member to be appointed from each of the Conservative, Labour, and Liberal parties. The Committee's proceedings are generally informal and no minutes are taken.

The committee from time to time is made up of three privy councillors none of whom are members of the Government. The committee examines the 'political' names in the half yearly honours lists, the lists of proposed working peers, and the dissolution and resignation honours lists, and submits its findings to the Prime Minister. On each occasion that the committee convenes the chief whips of each of the parties will usually have formally certified that no payment or expectation of payment to any party or political fund is directly or indirectly associated with the recommendations.

Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C15777/

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This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

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HM Treasury and Civil Service Department: Ceremonial Branch: Political Honours Scrutiny Committee (PHSC Series) Files