How effective are Select Committees? DO NOW Study the quote from John Stuart Mill. Based on what you have learned so far, how close is Parliament to Mill’s ideal of the “proper office of a representative assembly”. Give it a score from 1 (perfect match) to 5 (nowhere near) and then defend your score to the person sitting next to you.

The proper office of a representative assembly is to watch and control the government: to throw the light of publicity on its acts, to compel a full exposition and justification of all of them which any one considers questionable; [and] to censure them if found condemnable. John Stuart Mill (1861)

Learning objectives To explain the functions of key Parliamentary select committees To evaluate the effectiveness of select committees in holding the government to account and debating issues of national importance

What are select committees? Select committee Permanent select committees scrutinize the executive, usually with one committee for each major government department, e.g. Home Affairs, Education, Health, etc. Ad hoc or ‘topical’ committees are formed to investigate specific matters of public interest Select committees are a key mechanism through which Parliament scrutinizes the Executive. There are two types of select committee:

Select committees in action Watch the Home Affairs Select Committee question Sean Wright, former Police and Crime Commissioner of South Yorkshire question Pay careful attention to the tone with which the questions are asked as well as to the questions themselves How does this type of cross-examination by committee differ from parliamentary questions?

What are departmental select committees? Usually composed of members, elected by the whole House of Commons (post 2009 Wright Committee). The party of government typically has a majority of committee seats, but members are expected to behave in a non-partisan manner; committee reports are normally recommended unanimously. Leadership of select committees is prized by MPs because they offer public profile and additional salary.

What powers do they have? To investigate the work of government departments. To review major departmental policies. To evaluate the likely effectiveness of proposed legislation. To consider matters of public interest relating to the relevant department. To investigate departmental failures. To propose future legislation (occasional)

Examples of departmental select committees CommitteeChair Business, Innovation and SkillsAdrian Bailey MP (C) DefenceRory Stewart MP (C) EducationGraham Stuart MP (C) Energy and Climate ChangeTim Yeo MP (C) Foreign AffairsRichard Ottaway MP (C) HealthDr. Sarah Wollaston MP (C) Home AffairsKeith Vaz MP (L) JusticeSir Alan Beith MP (L-D) TreasuryAndrew Tyrie (C)

Other parliamentary select committees CommitteeFunction Public AccountsTo check how effectively and efficiently the government spends public money. Chair: Edward Leigh MP (C) Standards and PrivilegesTo investigate the conduct of MPs and determine sanctions where necessary. Statutory InstrumentsTo check the government’s use of ‘secondary legislation’ European ScrutinyTo investigate the soundness of legislation arising from the EU. LiaisonPoses (blind) questions the Prime Ministers twice per year in order to hold the government to account at the highest level. Made up of the chairs of all select committees.

Limitations on the work of select committees Limited powers Limited funding and resources Party Whips have tried to keep more independent-minded MPs off key committees Allegations of ministerial interference, e.g. revealations during the Hutton Inquiry Reports may have limited impact or influence

Plenary What is the most significant source of influence at the disposal of a Parliamentary Select Committee? How effective are select committees vs. debates in the House of Commons?

EXTRA RESOURCES

Rotherham abuse scandal: key facts ~1,400 children were abused by a gang of men, predominantly of Pakistani origin, between >30% of the victims were already known to social services Several independent experts alerted Children’s Services to the existence of systematic child sexual exploitation in Rotherham 157 reports concerning child sexual exploitation were made to local police in 2013 Nine prosecutions were made Shaun Wright was the first elected Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire. He had been the local councillor responsible for Children’s Services

Further types of representation Descriptive representation The members of the representative assembly share the key characteristics—e.g. gender, ethnicity, religion—of the electorate Substantive representation The members of the representative assembly reflect the interests of the electorate

The House of Commons is misunderstood if viewed as a legislator. Virtually all legislative processes originate from, and are shaped by, the executive. Nor are the Commons’ extensive debates of great significance... Secure government majorities... mean that legislative proposals are hardly ever overturned. Moran (2011)

The tendency of British governments to concentrate power at the epicenter of the core executive … is harder to pursue in a coalition government. Collegiality and consensus become and imperative to sustain such a government in power by binding two different and autonomous parties together [in order to retain] a Commons majority. David Richards (2011)

Function RepresentationMembers articulate the goals of the party under whose label they were elected DeliberationDebating matters of national importance LegislationPassing, amending and repealing laws ScrutinyHolding the government to account Authorizing expenditure Giving explicit assent to the government’s spending proposals (usually through the annual budget)