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 the Order 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 Appointments Secretariat.[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 and Commonwealth nations can be nominated. Non-citizens are eligible for honorary awards.[6]
Following his retirement as Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office, Sir Hayden Phillips prepared a report in July 2004 to the Cabinet 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 the Prime Minister.[6]
Following the Cash 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 the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, are sent to the King by the Honours and Decorations Committee of the Ministry of Defence.[9] The honours committee also does not make nominations for peerages, which are created directly by the monarch.
Sir John Scarlett KCMG OBE - chairman, SC Strategy Limited
Official members
Tamara Finkelstein CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Sir Tom Scholar KCB - Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury
Diversity and Inclusion Group
A group of independent committee members oversee the honours system's work to embed diversity and equality. It meets twice a year to assess the statistical trends and to maintain momentum behind continuing improvements, and outreach activity.
Chair - Lady Casey of Blackstock DBE CB
Independent members
Naomi Climer - Vice President, Royal Academy of Engineering
Emir Feisal JP, Trustee, the Henry Smith Charity
Donna Fraser - Vice President, UK Athletics
Rupert Gavin (Chair, Arts & Media) - chair, Historic Royal Palaces
Dr Sue Griffiths - Managing Director, Social Development Direct
Dame Asha Khemka DBE DL - British Educator
Prof. Heather McGregor CBE - Executive Dean, Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University
Dame Denise Platt – Member, General Medical Council and Member, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Jenny Rowe CB - Former CEO, Supreme Court
Prof. Iqbal Singh - chair, Centre of Excellence and Safety for Older People (CESOP)
Ben Summerskill OBE – chair, Silver Line and Director, Criminal Justice Alliance
Official members
Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Permanent Secretary, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government