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New powers to summon witnesses to Commons select committees may be needed, the Speaker has said.
Speaking at a lunch with the press gallery today, Speaker Bercow said in this parliament committees have asserted "greater power and indepdendence".
"What do we do if a witness appears and gives false testimony?" he asked.
Mr Speaker said while "ancient legislation" exists, there is "genuine uncertainty as to its applicability in the modern world".
"More must be done to "underpin" the independence and effectivess of committee," he said.
"Either through parliament or a mechansim still to be decided ... the right of select committees both to demand the presence of witnesses and secure candid testimony must be secured," he addd.
Mr Speaker said he does not have "concusive answers to the question of how that will be achieved, but I am very sympathetic to the argument that we cannot simply let matter rest here".
"We have got to ensure they (committees) can legitimately get their way."
Bercow said that while there are sanctions in place, any "statutory route" to compel witnesses could see the judgements of parliament subject to judicial oversight.
On MPs' expenses, Mr Speaker said the original Ipsa system was "complex, unecessary and expensively bureaucratic", and while the situation has improved, the balance between "transparency on the one hand and efficiency and fairness on the other" had not yet been achieved.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
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