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

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.