House of Commons - European Scrutiny Committee: Reforming the European Scrutiny Process in the House of Commons: Volume I - HC 109-I
House of Commons - European Scrutiny Committee: Reforming the European Scrutiny Process in the House of Commons: Volume I - HC 109-I

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2013-11-28

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 9780215064653

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The depth and pace of EU integration has demonstrated the need for effective democratic parliamentary scrutiny and accountability of Government at Westminster. This is the first major inquiry into the European scrutiny system in the House of Commons for eight years. There is more that the Committee could do to look at the impact of new proposals. There should be a new requirement to appoint ’Reporters' to take the lead within Committees on EU issues, as well as a more coordinated approach to the Commission Work Programme. Whilst the system need not be scrapped as some have said, it must be enhanced. Many problems arise from the fact that new Members are appointed for each document. The Committee argues forcefully for a return to the permanent membership system, new powers and a change of name to reflect the Committees' core purpose: EU Document Debate Committees. The Committee also examined how EU business is taken on the floor of the House, and the procedures which apply to it. They set out a series of recommendations about the way debates are scheduled and conducted and put the case for a new session of ’EU Questions'. They also review working practices and the visibility of the House's scrutiny of the EU in the media. It concluded that now is the time to propose the introduction of a form of national veto over EU legislative proposals, and then to explore the mechanics of disapplication of parts of existing EU obligations, notwithstanding the European Communities Act 1972

House of Commons - European Scrutiny Committee: Reforming the European Scrutiny Process in the House of Commons: Volume II - HC 109-II
House of Commons - European Scrutiny Committee: Reforming the European Scrutiny Process in the House of Commons: Volume II - HC 109-II

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2013-11-28

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9780215064660

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The depth and pace of EU integration has demonstrated the need for effective democratic parliamentary scrutiny and accountability of Government at Westminster. This is the first major inquiry into the European scrutiny system in the House of Commons for eight years. There is more that the Committee could do to look at the impact of new proposals. There should be a new requirement to appoint 'Reporters' to take the lead within Committees on EU issues, as well as a more coordinated approach to the Commission Work Programme. Whilst the system need not be scrapped as some have said, it must be enhanced. Many problems arise from the fact that new Members are appointed for each document. The Committee argues forcefully for a return to the permanent membership system, new powers and a change of name to reflect the Committees' core purpose: EU Document Debate Committees. The Committee also examined how EU business is taken on the floor of the House, and the procedures which apply to it. They set out a series of recommendations about the way debates are scheduled and conducted and put the case for a new session of 'EU Questions'. They also review working practices and the visibility of the House's scrutiny of the EU in the media. It concluded that now is the time to propose the introduction of a form of national veto over EU legislative proposals, and then to explore the mechanics of disapplication of parts of existing EU obligations, notwithstanding the European Communities Act 1972

Parliament and the legislative process
Parliament and the legislative process

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords: Select Committee on the Constitution

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 9780104005408

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Parliament and the legislative Process : 14th report of session 2003-04, Vol. 2: Evidence

Parliamentary Sovereignty
Parliamentary Sovereignty

Author: Jeffrey Goldsworthy

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-07-22

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1139491512

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This book has four main themes: (1) a criticism of 'common law constitutionalism', the theory that Parliament's authority is conferred by, and therefore is or can be made subordinate to, judge-made common law; (2) an analysis of Parliament's ability to abdicate, limit or regulate the exercise of its own authority, including a revision of Dicey's conception of sovereignty, a repudiation of the doctrine of implied repeal and the proposal of a novel theory of 'manner and form' requirements for law-making; (3) an examination of the relationship between parliamentary sovereignty and statutory interpretation, defending the reality of legislative intentions, and their indispensability to sensible interpretation and respect for parliamentary sovereignty; and (4) an assessment of the compatibility of parliamentary sovereignty with recent constitutional developments, including the expansion of judicial review of administrative action, the Human Rights and European Communities Acts and the growing recognition of 'constitutional principles' and 'constitutional statutes'.

The New Select Committees
The New Select Committees

Author: Study of Parliament Group

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13:

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In 1979 the British House of Commons replaced most of its all-party select committees with fourteen new ones charged with overseeing the policy and administration of the major government departments. Revised and updated to include the work of the committees since 1983 and their role in the second Parliament, this second edition provides an in-depth look at the effects of this important parliamentary reform.

Reinventing Britain
Reinventing Britain

Author: Andrew McDonald

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2007-10-30

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0520098625

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"First [originally] published in Great Britain in 2007 by Politico's Publishing ..."--Title page verso.

Memorandum to the Justice Select Committee
Memorandum to the Justice Select Committee

Author: Great Britain: Ministry of Justice

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-12-19

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 9780101823623

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The Freedom of Information Act 2000 received Royal Assent on 30 November 2000 and came into full effect on 1 January 2005. The Act gave the public, for the first time, a statutory right (subject to appropriate limitations) to i) find out if a public authority held specified information and, ii) if so, to be provided with access to it. This Memorandum revisits the original objectives and evaluates whether those have been met. It is felt that the FIOA has become embedded in the culture of public authorities and its effects on openness and transparency are clear. The successes do not come without cost, however, primarily in the form of concern at the time taken to process and respond to FOI requests, to conduct public interest tests and consider exemptions. The extent though to which original decisions are neither complained against, or are upheld on complaint, indicate that the FOIA is working largely as it should

Standards Matter
Standards Matter

Author: Committee on Standards in Public Life

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2013-01-17

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9780101851923

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The Committee for Standards in Public Life felt that the time was right to undertake a review of the key lessons that have been learnt since the Nolan Committee's first report (ISBN 9780101285025) was published in 1995 about how to improve ethical standards in public life - to stand back and reflect on what has been achieved and what still needs to be done. The report argues that much of the basic infrastructure to improve standards is now in place. Statements of key principles and codes of conduct have been adopted by most public bodies, new regulators have been created or had their existing remits clarified, and awareness of principles such as integrity, accountability and openness has increased considerably. The Committee believes standards of behaviour in many areas of public life have improved. But the Committee finds it disturbing that concerns continue to be raised about the integrity of so many of the country's key institutions or those within them; and the evidence of the last few years and months suggests that there is still much to do before the high standards in public life to which we all aspire are fully internalised in the cultures of all our public institutions. The report concludes that the need now is not for more principles, codes or regulators but rather for the existing arrangements to be more consistently and actively implemented.