Select Committee review in the House of Lords launched
18 January 2018
The House of Lords Liaison Committee, chaired by the Senior Deputy Speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith, has today launched a review of House of Lords investigative and scrutiny committees.
- Consultation document: Review of investigative and scrutiny committees
- Submit written evidence to the inquiry
- Inquiry: Review of investigative and scrutiny committees
- Liaison Committee (Lords)
This will be a full and wide-ranging review of the structure of investigative committees, the first in the House of Lords for 25 years. House of Lords Committees are an important part of its work, providing a forum for the House’s expert Members to look in detail at significant issues and produce influential reports that have an impact on national life.
The aim of the review is to ensure Committees continue to work as well as they can and to consider how we shape our committees for the future, mindful of the Brexit process. This will include taking stock of the balance between ad hoc committees – committees that are appointed for a set period of time to explore a single issue, and sessional committees – which are broader in scope and whose work is ongoing across different inquiries.
The Committee are inviting written submissions from any interested parties, with a deadline for responses of Friday 20 April 2018
Questions
- How can Committees add most value to the scrutiny work of the House of Lords as a second chamber?
- How can House of Lords Committees develop a national conversation to complement their inquiry and scrutiny work?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current House of Lords Committee structure and what should change?
- How can House of Lords Committees maximize their impact inside and outside the House?
- How can House of Lords Committees promote inter-parliamentary dialogue both within and outside the UK?
Chairman's comments
Commenting on the launch of the review Lord McFall of Alcluith,said:
"Committee activity is a crucial part of the work of the House of Lords. The diverse and expert membership of the House is well suited to this work, which adds significant value to the work of Parliament as a whole and contributes to society more widely through its influence on government policy and societal change.
"Our Committees need to be at the forefront of engaging the public in their work and I want to see that engagement develop into a national conversation about the work of our committees and how and why they are relevant to the public.Committees provide a unique opportunity for people to interact with the House of Lords and I want Committee inquiries to inspire conversation and debate about the important issues they address.
"This is an ideal time to take stock of what our committees do well, and where we can do better. I hope that a diverse range of people and organisations will send us their views to help us ensure House of Lords committees are fit for the future and relevant to as many people as possible."
Timeline
The deadline for submissions is 5pm Friday 20 April 2018. The committee intends to report by the end of 2018.