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liaison report, session 2013-14, 1st report

Liaison Committee review new proposals for Lords Committees

17 March 2014

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In each of the past three years the Liaison Committee has reviewed House of Lords Committee activity towards the end of the Session, and also considered proposals from members of the House for new Committee activity. In response to the Chairman of Committees’ invitation to do so, 22 members of the House put forward proposals for ad hoc Select Committee activity in the 2014-15 Session by this year’s deadline of 15 January 2014.

All of these were considered by the Liaison Committee.

Proposals

The increase in Select Committee activity during the past two Sessions has been well received, and the Liaison Committee decided to maintain the high level of activity for Session 2014-15. Inevitably it was not possible for the Liaison Committee to recommend to the House all the proposals received.

Following consideration at its meetings in February and March the Committee agreed to recommend the following proposals to the House for appointment in the 2014-15 Session:

  • Affordable Childcare;
  • The Arctic (as a Select Committee on an international affairs subject);
  • The Extradition Act 2003 and Extradition Legislation (post-legislative scrutiny); and
  • ICT, competitiveness and skills

Committee Activity

The Committee’s 2014 report, published on 17 March, also:

  • reviews the activity of the three ad hoc committees; Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Committee, Soft Power and the UK's Influence Committee and the Personal Service Companies Committee and two post-legislative scrutiny committees; Inquireies Act 2005 and Mental Capacity Act 2005 appointed in the present Session; and
  • considers arrangements for following up the work of ad hoc committees.

2013 Review

The Committee’s 2013 report:

  • reviewed the select committee activity of the House in the light of the changes made at the start of the previous Session;
  • reviewed the activity of the three new ad hoc committees; in particular the first House of Lords post-legislative scrutiny committee, on Adoption Legislation; and
  • recommended the appointment of three new ad hoc select committees and two post-legislative scrutiny committees, incorporating a further additional unit of committee activity, in the 2013–14 Session.

2012 Review

The Committee’s 2012 report, which followed the publication of the Report of the Leader’s Group on Working Practices:

  • reviewed existing select committee activity and recommended an additional unit of committee activity;
  • recommended a reduction in the resources available to the European Union and Science and Technology Committees to enable the redeployment of resources to support two new ad hoc select committees; and
  • recommended the appointment of an ad hoc select committee to carry out post-legislative scrutiny on Adoption Legislation.