Over the past few days a number of select committees have confirmed their membership under the new parliament, including some of those committees relevant to those working in the race and equality sectors. Full details of the membership of the home affairs, communities and local government and justice committees are available on their websites.

In addition, the justice and home affairs committees will be holding one off sessions on the 21st and 15th July respectively to question the relevant secretary of states for their departments.

Home affairs committee chair Keith Vaz has highlighted in particular that he wants to quiz the home secretary on recent government announcements including the migration cap, the election of police commissioners and plans to reduce police bureaucracy.

Results of the first House of Commons’ election of select committee chairs were released yesterday, with Keith Vaz re-elected as chair of the high profile home affairs select committee. Another notable appointments include:

• Long-term equality campaigner Ann Begg (Lab) was elected chair of the work and pensions committee
• Clive Betts (Lab) was elected to the communities and local government committee
• Andrew Tyrie (Con) has been appointed to the treasury committee
• Graham Stuart (Con) has succeeded Barry Sheerham on the education committee

The re-appointment of Keith Vaz to the home affairs select committee is of particular importance for the race equality sector given that the committee oversee and scrutinise the coalition government’s proposals relating to police stop and search powers, immigration and other Home Office policies, administration and expenditure. Under Vaz's chairmanship in the years 2003-10 inquiries into the Independent Police Commission, the UK Border Agency’s asylum cases, and the government’s approach to crime prevention were all investigated and published.  

Arguably, backbenchers will now have more power than ever before given that no party has overall control of Westminster. Select committees – which have always played an important role in scrutinising the government – will therefore be of particular importance this parliament, and it is therefore crucial that those working in the equality sector keep a close eye on the committees’ work.

Last week it was announced that elections for chairs of the committees will take place on 9 June – a new development given that previously parties appointed chairs themselves. In addition, it has also been decided which parties will chair each committee, with Conservative chairs to be appointed in education, treasury and defence committees; Labour chairs in both home affairs and communities committees and local government; and Lib Dems in international development and justice.

Given the department’s focus on issues including stop and search, the DNA database and immigration the home affairs select committee is of particular importance to those working in the race equality sector. So far two MPs have been nominated as potential chairs including former chair of the committee Keith Vaz MP.

Given its past focus on community cohesion and the PREVENT programme, the communities and local government committee may also be of interest, with the current frontrunner for the chair position being Nick Raynsford MP. The committee is also likely to play a key role in scrutinising the government’s high profile localism agenda.

The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Select Committee has today criticized the government’s controversial Prevent programme, stating that it has stigmatised and alienated those it is attempting to engage and that it has “tainted” many positive community cohesion projects. It also argues that the strategy sits poorly within a counter-terrorism strategy.

Launching 'Preventing Violent Extremism', a report of a recent select committee inquiry into the Prevent programme, CLG committee chair Dr Phyllis Starkey MP said, "We agree that a targeted strategy must address the contemporary al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist threat, but we do not believe a Government department charged with promoting cohesive communities should take a leading role in this counter-terrorism initiative”.

As we speak, the Home Affairs Select Committee is taking evidence from Tim Godwin, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and Kit Malthouse, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Association on the work of the Met. According to committee Chair Keith Vaz MP, items on the agenda will include stop and search and issues around the appointment of senior officers. The session is available to watch online, and a transcript will be available from the committee website in a few weeks.

The Home Affairs Select Committee this week published a report which argues that a new centralised system is needed for removals from the DNA database. In the report - which outlines the findings of its recent inquiry into the government database - the Committee also says that while it does not question the indefinite retention of the DNA profiles of those convicted of crimes,  the current system of indefinitely retaining the DNA profiles of people who are not actually convinced of any crime is "impossible to defend" . However, the report does not focus on the disproportionate numbers of those from the black community profiled on the database.

In the past few days in parliament questions have been answered on the impact of airport body scanners on community cohesion and housing benefit for Travellers. Click the link below to read full details in today's blog post. In addition, the Home Affairs Select Committee has called follow up sessions on its inquiries into gurkhas and domestic violence, forced marriage and honour-based violence.

Today I tuned into the Home Affairs Select Committee’s oral evidence session as part of its inquiry into the UK Border Agency, to which Runnymede submitted written evidence. Louise Perrett appeared today in front of the committee, who you may remember as being the whistleblower and former asylum caseworker who claimed there was a culture of hostility in the UK Border Agency Cardiff offices. Most shockingly, she claimed that officials took pride in refusing applications. Chair of the Home Affairs Committee Keith Vaz MP previously expressed concern surrounding these allegations, and in today’s session he asked Perrett to outline her claims in more detail.