What are House of Lords Select Committees and how does their work impact on our lives?
Let’s take a closer look.
Parliament has two Houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The House of Lords is independent from the House of Commons. Both Houses scrutinise the
work of government. But what does this really mean?
Scrutiny is the process of questioning and challenging the government in Parliament.
This is achieved through discussing and debating important issues and questioning ministers
on government policy, examining existing or proposed laws and policies and suggesting
improvements.
One way the House of Lords scrutinises Government is through its Select Committees. Lords Select
Committees investigate a wide range of issues affecting all parts of government.
They offer a different perspective to House of Commons Select Committees which are set
up to follow and investigate the work of specific government departments.
Lords Select Committees are usually made up of 12 members. They bring a range of experience
and specialised knowledge to committee work. They are drawn from different political parties
as well as independent ‘cross bench’ members. Neither the government nor any one party has
a majority.
Committees meet to explore and report on important issues by gathering evidence from witnesses
including experts, government and the public.
They use this evidence to make recommendations, usually to government. This process is called
an inquiry.
There are two main types of Select Committee in the House of Lords
Permanent Committees based around five different themes… European Union, Communications,
Constitution, Economic Affairs and Science and Technology.
One-off Committees, are set up to investigate important, current issues; such as the Arctic.
These committees come to an end when their inquiry is complete.
There are also Joint Committees, made up of members from both the Lords and the Commons.
Select Committees play a vital role in Parliament, and their recommendations can lead to real
change.
The government usually responds to reports within two months.
Reports also stimulate debate within Parliament and beyond. So for example in March 2013,
The Public Service and Demographic Change Committee published its report Ready for Ageing?
This One-off Committee recommended far reaching changes across government to address the impact
of an ageing population on issues including; the supply of housing, jobs and pensions and
health and social care.
Select Committee inquiries are a way for you to engage directly with Parliament. Committees
are keen to hear from anyone with an interest in the issue they are considering, including
you.
Your evidence will be considered by the committee and will help shape its report.
Anyone can come and watch public meetings, entry is free and you can watch them live
online at parliamentlive.tv
So House of Lords Select Committees: take a non-party political look at issues
that affect everyone gather and evaluate evidence from experts,
government and the public and publish their findings in a report with
recommendations, usually to government and in the case of the European Union Committee,
also to the EU institutions.
All of this stimulates debate within and beyond Parliament, ensures that important issues
are examined in depth and that government policies and actions are properly scrutinised.