Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Rejected
Reach a working agreement between Government and Parliament on negotiation progress and mandates.
Recommendation
Given our recommendation that all treaties need to be subject to a parliamentary process for the UK to indicate consent to be bound, it would be in a Government’s best interest to consult and update Parliament regularly. We recommend that a working practices agreement is reached between the Government and Parliament which would set out the arrangements for how Parliament will be informed of the progress of negotiations. Such an agreement should also set out that Parliament would normally be consulted on, and may be asked to approve, the setting of negotiating mandates. (Paragraph 111) Parliamentary arrangements for the scrutiny of international agreements
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a new working agreement and parliamentary approval of negotiating mandates, citing that existing parliamentary mechanisms are sufficient and Parliament has previously rejected such amendments in the Trade Act 2021.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
noting that: (a) existing parliamentary mechanisms, supported by the work of the designated treaties committee, should be sufficient to provide effective scrutiny; and (b) mandates for treaties should not be subject to parliamentary approval. These issues were considered during the passage of the Trade Act 2021, where amendments regarding Parliament’s role in the objectives and mandate-setting process and pre- signature scrutiny were rejected by considerable majorities in the House of Commons. 12 Government Response