Parliament has announced the new chairs of its select committees, with Labour MP Meg Hillier elected to run the Public Accounts Committee.
Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch and a former mayor of Islington, won the contest against three rivals after four rounds using the alternative vote system. Hillier came second to rival Gisela Stuart after the first round but picked up enough redistributed votes from eliminated candidates Helen Goodman and David Hanson to win through.
She takes over the chair from Margaret Hodge, who gained a reputation for tough questioning of civil servants during her time at the helm during the last parliament. Speaking to Civil Service World before MPs cast their votes, Hillier said she would aim to take a "polite" but "formal" approach with officials.
"I always prefer the polite approach," she said. "But I would get frustrated if a witness was obfuscating or, as has happened, a permanent secretary sits in front of the committee saying one thing and then within a week the department announces a change of direction.
"So I'd say to civil servants that if they approach the committee openly and honestly, they'll get an easier ride than if they fudge an answer or dodge a question. I believe in quite a formal approach – much of our audience is the public at home so I'd dispense with first name terms and address witnesses more formally so that others could follow what's happening more easily...
"What we need to do is give the civil service more confidence to allow the actual project managers to be witnesses rather than just the permanent secretary. They often want to protect junior members of staff but those directly responsible day-to-day can be better witnesses and if they are managing large government projects should be held to account in their own right."
Hillier entered the Commons in 2005 and served as member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee for a year until she was appointed parliamentary private secretary to then communities secretary Ruth Kelly. In June 2007 she was appointed a Home Office minister, and served as a member of the public accounts committee since October 2011.
The Public Accounts Committee was one of 15, including the Backbench Business Committee, which were contested by MPs, with a further 12 only receiving a single nomination.
This included the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which Conservative Bernard Jenkin will continue to chair.
Elections were held by secret ballot yesterday, with 621 out of 650 MPs taking part. Select committee chairs are entitled to an additional salary on top of their MP’s pay – this year the top-up is set at £15,025.