House of Commons

Clerk of the House

Information for Candidates
February 2023
Overview of the House of Commons
The UK public elects 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests
and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs consider and propose new laws, and
can scrutinise government policies by asking ministers questions about current
issues either in the Commons Chamber or in Committees.

The House of Commons is overseen by a group of MPs and others who make up the
House of Commons Commission. The day to day running of the House is delegated
by the Commission to the senior officials who form the House of Commons
Executive Board.

The role
The Clerk of the House of Commons is appointed by the Crown as the chief adviser
to the House on matters of parliamentary procedure, privilege and broader
constitutional issues. The post holder is also head of the House of Commons Service
and Accounting Officer for the House’s use of resources. The Clerk is line manager for
the Director General (Operations) of the House of Commons, as well as a number of
other senior officials. The postholder is an official member of the House of Commons
Commission and chairs the Commons Executive Board.

Knowledge and experience

This post requires experience in high-level decision-making and strategic people
management, the ability to inspire a diverse workforce, strong interpersonal skills,
political impartiality and sensitivity, and detailed knowledge and expert understanding
of the practices and procedures of the House of Commons. The Clerk is often required
to give such procedural advice without notice and must be able to draft or explain it
quickly, clearly and accurately. Good communication skills are an essential
requirement, as is the capacity to respond quickly to often fast-moving events, with
high reputational risks.

Senior Procedural/Constitutional Adviser

The Clerk of the House of Commons is expected to provide authoritative advice on
parliamentary practice and procedure on a daily basis to the Speaker, and when
required to the Deputy Speakers, the Leader of the House, the Shadow Leader, other
Members of the front benches, and individual Members of the House. The Clerk leads
the team of senior table Clerks for the first part of each sitting day in the Chamber of
the House.

The Clerk is also responsible for advising on parliamentary privilege. The Clerk is
consulted as an authority on constitutional matters affecting the House of Commons
in the UK but also by Commonwealth parliamentary authorities. The post holder is
required, from time to time, to give evidence on such matters to Select Committees
of the House or to Joint Committees of both Houses.

The Clerk represents the House of Commons at national and international level,
participates in certain ceremonial occasions and leads effective stakeholder relations
on parliamentary business, including with the Speaker and Deputy Speakers, the
Commission, Members, the House of Lords and external contacts in the UK and
overseas. The Clerk is ultimately responsible for maintaining authoritative records of
proceedings of the House and signs or endorses all orders and official
communications of the House and provides strategic leadership to efforts to increase
understanding of and access to parliamentary proceedings and activities. As head of

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profession for the clerks in the House Service, the post holder will have ultimate
responsibility for the recruitment, training and development of that cadre of staff,
ensuring an enduring high level of procedural expertise within the Service.

Head of the House of Commons Administration

As Head of the House of Commons Administration of around 3000 staff, the Clerk
provides strategic leadership and is ultimately responsible for the services provided
to meet the strategic objectives of the administration of the House, through line
management of and delegation to the Director General (Operations) (DG (Ops)) of the
House of Commons. As chair of the Commons Executive Board the Clerk leads the
senior management team in decision making and determines the organisation’s
priorities. Working with the DG (Ops), the Clerk is responsible for ensuring that the
House Administration meets its core objectives of providing excellent services for the
Chamber and Members, with an ability to draw on best practice from external
organisations and a creative approach to problem solving.

The Clerk chairs the House Administration’s Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group
and must be able to demonstrate a strong personal commitment to those issues.
The postholder must be able to inspire others to make the House Service a yet more
inclusive environment and to continue to nurture a culture of respect and
professionalism within the parliamentary community, where allegations of
unacceptable behaviour are dealt with promptly, fairly and effectively.

The Clerk has responsibility for certain statutory and contractual duties towards
employees and for management of the Senior Commons Structure. With the DG
(Ops), the Clerk is responsible for House governance, through the management of
the Office of the Executive. The Clerk shares responsibilities with the Clerk of the
Parliaments for certain shared services, including the Parliamentary Digital Service
and the Restoration and Renewal Client Team.

Accounting Officer, Corporate Officer, Commissioner

The Clerk is appointed by the Commission as Accounting Officer, with ultimate
responsibility for the use of resources in meeting the strategic objectives of the
administration of the House. As Accounting Officer, s/he has the same responsibilities
as Accounting Officers in the Civil Service in terms of public finances, budget setting,
accounting and internal control, as well as attendance at the Audit and Risk Assurance
Committee. The Clerk must provide leadership in championing the importance of
value for money and effective use of public funds. The net resource and capital budget
requirement of the House of Commons administration for 2022-23 is over £550
million.

The Clerk must be a strategic thinker, with an ability to set effective priorities for the
House Administration. The postholder will demonstrate those capabilities as a
member of the House of Commons Commission and as Chair of the Commons
Executive Board. The Clerk is a key player in ensuring that the Palace of Westminster
is restored and renewed and must be able to demonstrate creativity and pragmatism
in helping to deliver solutions which are effective and politically achievable.

The Clerk is a member of both the Restoration and Renewal Client Board and
Programme Board, bodies charged with the oversight of the restoration and renewal
of the Palace.

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Personal qualities and skills

Essential
• Senior executive leadership experience within a complex organisation, with
the ability to successfully discharge the responsibilities of accounting and
corporate officer.
• Expert knowledge of parliamentary practice and procedure, with proven
ability to provide clear, accurate and considered advice to senior politicians
at short notice.
• Expert knowledge of parliamentary privilege and the constitutional role of the
House of Commons, with the ability to advise senior politicians and officials
in the UK and commonwealth.
• Experience of leading an organisation, with proven ability to create and
maintain an inclusive, professional and respectful culture in line with
organisational values.
• Extensive experience of successfully managing relationships with a range of
senior stakeholders, which demonstrates the ability to navigate a complex
political environment.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to inspire
confidence and respect as the head of a significant UK institution.
• Experience of chairing boards and groups, with the ability to translate
strategic aims into tangible results maintaining buy-in from stakeholders and
staff.

Desirable
• Knowledge and experience of the Restoration and Renewal Programme, with
the ability to broker politically acceptable solutions.

Values
The House Service is proud of our organisational values, which will deliver our
strategy. We are looking for people who can bring these values to life:

• Inclusive: We value everyone equally; We respect each other; We all have a

voice
• Courageous: We try new things; We own our actions and decisions; We learn
from our mistakes
• Trusted: We trust each other to do a good job; We are impartial; We build
confidence in Parliament through our integrity
• Collaborative: We share our knowledge and experience; We work towards a
shared vision; We know we work better in a partnership

Security
The successful candidates will be required to complete pre-employment checks. This
includes security vetting to Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) level unless otherwise
specified. All successful candidates are required to pass these checks before an offer
can be confirmed.

Applicants should be aware that if they have resided outside of the UK for a total of
more than two of the last five years, they are not eligible for appointment.

Please visit: PSD-Security-Vetting-booklet for further information.

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Valuing diversity, equality & fairness
The House of Commons Service recognises and values diversity and is committed to
developing working practices which will allow everyone to contribute his or her best,
regardless of race, sex, marital status, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual
orientation, gender reassignment or any other irrelevant factor.

The successful candidates will also be required to comply with the Behaviour Code
for Parliament and will be subject to the Independent Complaints and Grievance
Scheme.

In order to help the House monitor the success of its commitment to diversity and
inclusion, all applicants are requested to complete the online Diversity Monitoring
Form. This form is used for monitoring purposes only and will not be made available
to the selection panel.

The House reserves the right to disclose details of successful applicants to meet legal,
regulatory and public policy requirements, and also any other duty it may have to
provide information to Parliament.

Terms of appointment
Length of appointment and expected commitment
The appointment is permanent. The appointment itself is made by the Crown, by
letters patent, in which s/he is styled “Under Clerk of the Parliaments … to attend
upon the Commons”.
A start date will be agreed with the successful candidate.

Remuneration/benefits
The salary will be £198,459 per annum, is tied to that paid to the Judicial Salary
Group 4 and thus subject to review annually in the light of recommendations of the
Senior Salaries Review Body. It is pensionable (see below).

Probation
There is a probationary period of 9 months.

Although the status of the post is such that the post holder is not subject to formal
performance appraisal, it is anticipated that the post holder will discuss and review
his or her personal objectives with the Speaker, at least once each year.

Hours
Conditioned hours are 36 per week net, plus such hours as may be demanded by
the service of the House. The post holder is expected to be available for
consultation during sitting times and is ordinarily expected to be able to respond to
issues arising out of standard working hours.
Workplace Adjustments
As an inclusive employer, the House of Commons supports individuals in need of
workplace adjustments. The workplace adjustment process prevents, reduces or
removes problems you might face at work. Adjustments can be requested to help
with obstacles relating to mental health, and physical or non-physical requirements.
You can request a workplace adjustment if you have a disability or suffer from a
difficulty or disadvantage in your workplace.

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Location
The post is located on the Parliamentary Estate.

Hybrid working
Our mission is to support a thriving parliamentary democracy – and today more than
ever, this means being ready to carry out our essential functions in Westminster and
elsewhere. Since 2020 our workforce is involved in developing new, business
resilient capabilities for hybrid working. We support colleagues to deliver excellent
services on the Parliamentary Estate and remotely. While the balance of location
varies according to the requirements of each job role, the Clerk of the House will be
required to be on site when the House is sitting.

Benefits
As an employee of the House, you will be entitled to our benefits such as:
• Annual leave - our annual leave offering is generous.
• Other pay benefits (occupational sickness absence pay scheme,
enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay).
• Flexible working
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Non-cash benefits (such as interest-free season tickets loans, In-
house nursery and gym, and cycle-to-work scheme etc).
• Learning & Development (including training, conferences, financial
support and study leave)
Pension
The House of Commons participates in the Civil Service Pension Schemes. As an
employee of the House, you will be entitled to join one of these highly competitive
pension scheme arrangements.

Annual leave
Annual leave entitlement is 30 days (increasing to 35 days after one year’s service)
plus public and bank holidays.

Impartiality
Professional services provided by House service staff are completely politically
impartial and it is a strict requirement that any briefing or advice are not influenced
by the personal political opinions of individual members of staff. These
requirements also extend to the use of social media where particular requirements
and guidance apply to roles such as this. The need for adherence to these
requirements will be covered during the application process.

Outside appointments
In order to be totally clear on any conflict of interest that has the potential to
undermine your impartiality as an employee of the House of Commons Service, due
to a clash between your professional interest or the public interest, and your own
self-interest, we do not anticipate that it would be possible to undertake this role in
combination with other paid employment or non-executive roles.

How to apply
The Clerk of the House will be selected on the basis of a combination of a written
application, an assessment and interview.

All candidates will be required to demonstrate in their written applications and at

interview how their experience has equipped them to meet the requirements of the

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role. The criteria that will be used to assess whether candidates have the required
knowledge, experience, skills and qualities are set out above. In your application you
should give examples with evidence from your current or previous roles as to how
you meet each of these criteria.

All applicants are required to provide the following:

• A CV (maximum three sides of A4) with your full employment history as well
as any unpaid or community activity.
• A short supporting statement (maximum two sides of A4) giving evidence of
the strength and depth of your ability to meet the criteria for the role. Please
provide specific examples to demonstrate how you meet each of the criteria
listed.
• The names and contact details for two referees. These must be people who
know you well enough to comment on your suitability for the post and will be
expected to have authoritative and personal knowledge of your achievements.
References will be taken by telephone on all candidates selected for panel
interview as soon as the interview arrangements have been made. Referees
should be advised accordingly. Please include the details in your CV.
As part of the online application process, you are asked to complete:
• A diversity monitoring form. This form will not be disclosed to anyone involved
in assessing your application.
The closing date is 8 March 2023 (midday).

Disability Confident Scheme

The House of Commons is a committed Disability Confident employer and as such,
operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for candidates with a disability. We
are committed to interviewing all applicants with a disability who provide evidence
of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post, as set out in this
applicant pack.

To be eligible, your disability must be within the definition laid down in the Equality
Act 2010. A disabled person is defined by the Equality Act 2010 as someone who
has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse
effect on their ability to perform normal day-to-day activities. For the purposes of
this policy, these words have the following meanings:

• ‘substantial’ means more than minor or trivial

• ‘long-term’ means that the effect of the impairment has lasted, or is likely to
last, 12 months (there are special rules covering recurring or fluctuating
conditions)
• ‘Normal day-to-day activities’ include everyday things like eating, washing,
walking and going shopping.

Should you consider yourself eligible to apply for this post under the DCS, please
complete the form when you submit your application.

The appointment process

The Commission has delegated oversight of the preliminary stages of the process.

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Panels will be responsible for sifting candidates for shortlisting and for conducting
the final interviews.

Provisional indicative timetable (dates are subject to confirmation)

8 March (midday) Closing date

9 or 10 March Shortlisting meeting

w/c 13 March Candidate assessments

w/c 20 March Panel interviews

Selection panels
The composition of the initial selection panel, which will sift the applications, is
expected to be as follows:

• Three Deputy Speakers

• An external member
• HR support

The composition of the final interview selection panel is expected to be as follows:

• Mr Speaker
• Leader of the House
• Shadow Leader of the House
• Three Deputy Speakers
• An external member
• HR support

Regardless of the panel’s decision and outcome, we will provide feedback to

candidates at all decision points.

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