Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 35
35
Paragraph: 168
At a minimum, under the affirmative procedure, the Government should set a precedent for any...
Recommendation
At a minimum, under the affirmative procedure, the Government should set a precedent for any future governments by committing to find time for a debate on the Floor of the House of the Statement once laid in draft for approval.
Paragraph Reference:
168
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
As outlined by the then Minister for the Constitution and Devolution in evidence to the Committee on 14 September 2021, the Government considers that the affirmative resolution procedure will provide both Houses of Parliament with appropriate and meaningful opportunities to debate and scrutinise the Strategy and Policy Statement before determining whether to approve or reject the resolution in full. The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring that parliamentary time is made available for these debates. The length of the debates in each House will be determined closer to the time following the procedural conventions in each House and will reflect the importance of giving parliamentarians a meaningful chance to air their views about the Government’s proposal before it is submitted to their approval. Further, to support parliamentary scrutiny during those debates, the Government also provided an illustrative example of the Strategy and Policy Statement which parliamentarians will be able to use to supplement their views.