The honours system is an ancient one, particularly in Britain;Æthelstan, King of the English in the 10th century, was knighted by his grandfather,Alfred the Great. Knighthoods were originally conferred as a military honour, often on the battlefield. Later it became customary for only the reigning monarch to bestow the honour.[2] Other honours beyond knighthood were later established, including theOrder of the Bath in 1725.[3]
During the 20th century, the "Ceremonial Branch" of the government was created in 1937 with the sole purpose of overseeing the honours system. In 2001, the committee became officially known as the Ceremonial Honours and AppointmentsSecretariat.[4]
Since 1993, members of the public have been eligible to nominate individuals;[5] government agencies may also formally put forward candidates. All citizens of the United Kingdom andCommonwealth nations can be nominated. Non-citizens are eligible for honorary awards.[6]
Following his retirement asPermanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office, SirHayden Phillips prepared a report in July 2004 to theCabinet Secretary suggesting a reform of the current honours nomination system. The next year, following recommendations made in Phillips' report, a new system of eight committees was organised, with each committee focussing on a special area. (In 2012, an additional committee was added.)[1] The committees are composed of senior civil servants and independent experts in specific fields.[6] The majority of the honours committees are non-civil servants.[1]
Each subcommittee oversees nominations for its specialised area: Arts and Media; Community, Voluntary and Local Services; Economy; Education; Health; Parliamentary and Political Service; Science and Technology; Sport; and State.[7] The individual committees assess the nominations and pass the nominations to the Main Honours Committee, whose members select the final list of nominations that are passed to the King by thePrime Minister.[6]
Following theCash for Honours scandal, the Main Honours Committee is required to determine that an individual's nomination for an honour has not been influenced by campaign and political contributions. According to the Cabinet Office's 2011 report, "The Main Honours Committee must satisfy itself that a party political donation has not influenced the decision to award an honour in any way; the committee must be confident that the candidate would have been a meritorious recipient of an honour if he or she had not made a political donation."[8]
The Cabinet's Honours Committee nominates civilians only; military honours, such as theVictoria Cross and theGeorge Cross, are sent to the King by the Honours and Decorations Committee of theMinistry of Defence.[9] The honours committee also does not make nominations forpeerages, which are created directly by the monarch.
Dr Wakkas KhanMBEDL - Founder, Young Interfaith; Member, Lancashire Cricket Foundation Inclusion Advisory Board; Former Chair, Prince’s Trust Mosaic North West; Former Trustee, Oxfam GB
Eddie LynchMBE - Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police
Ruth Shaw OBE - Independent Consultant, Affleck & Co
Chair: Professor Dame Jane Dacre DBE - Professor of Medical Education, University College London and President, Medical Protection Society (Independent chair)
The Rt. Hon.Lord Young of Old WindsorGCBGCVOPC - Independent senior corporate adviser; House of Lords Finance Select Committee; former Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Caroline Underwood OBE - Founder & CEO, Philanthropy Company
The Committee will assist the committee process in delivering an honours system which is representative of UK society through a programme of policy improvements and interventions; targeted regional and sectoral outreach and publicity of the honours system; and advice to both the independent committees and Government departments.
Chair: Moni Mannings OBE - Senior Independent Director & Committee Member (Remuneration and Nomination), The Co-operative Group Limited and Land Securities PLC (Independent Chair)
Lisa Opie – Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV (Arts and Media Committee)
Eddie LynchMBE – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police (Community & Voluntary Service Committee)
Dame Julia Hoggett DBE – CEO, London Stock Exchange (Economy Committee)
Clive Lawrence OBE – Chief Education Officer at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust (Education Committee)
Wol KoladeCBE – Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation (Health and Social Care Committee)
Craig Stephenson OBE – Trustee, Public Appointee & formerly Director at Welsh Parliament (Parliamentary and Political Service Committee)
Caroline Underwood OBE – Founder & CEO, Philanthropy Company (Public Service Committee)
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas – Professor of Innovation Management & Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast (Science, Technology and Research Committee)
Jennie Price CBE – Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency (Sport Committee)
Pavita Cooper – Portfolio Non-Executive Director & Chair, 30% Club UK (State Committee)
