The House of Commons has confirmed the appointment of Jackie Ballard, Lib Dem MP for Taunton from 1997-2001 – and who stood to be leader in 1999 – to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the new independent body which will now run the MPs’ expenses system. Jackie is currently Chief Executive of the RNID.

Her appointment was not without its controversy, though, as the BBC reports:

… some Tory MPs were unhappy at the choice of Jackie Ballard saying she had not been an MP for long enough. … Sir Nicholas Winterton and Christopher Chope … tried to introduce an amendment to remove Ms Ballard; they wanted her to be replaced by the former Tory MP Elizabeth Peacock. Sir Nicholas told MPs that Ms Ballard “who served in this House for just four years is not an adequately experienced in order to represent all members of this House on this very important authority [Ipsa]”.

In the end it was Lib Dem shadow leader of the house David Heath who ensured Jackie’s successful confirmation, using some arcane Erskine May knowledge to foil the Tories’ efforts:

Lib Dem frontbencher David Heath said the people on the panel had to be selected by the Speaker “on merit” and on the “basis of fair and open competition”. He accused the MPs of “picking and choosing members of an independent body which suited their own personal views”. He suggested, as Ipsa must have an MP on the panel, the efforts to block Ms Ballard were actually “yet another attempt to slow down the process of introducing proper reform in this House of Commons. It is a process that has been constantly been sniped at by certain members who wish to retain the old practices.” …

Mr Heath moved his own amendment, that “the original motion be now not put” – quoting Erskine May, the authority on parliamentary procedure, to support his argument. The procedure had only been used three times in 66 years. He argued that it was his intention that it fail – as if it did so it would effectively block the amendment to drop Ms Ballard. It was then defeated by 194 votes to 41 and Ipsa’s membership was approved without a vote. Sir Nicholas condemned it as a “devious device” which he said had been used to “seek to silence transparent, open and important debate”.

The words ‘ends’ and ‘means’ spring to mind.