Inadequate Parliamentary Treaty Scrutiny
Insufficient parliamentary scrutiny and approval processes for international treaties, where implementing legislation is not a substitute.
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#50 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
We report the Rwanda Treaty to the House for special attention together with our comments in paragraphs 20, 33, 38, 42, 45–47 and 48–49. 1 Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda for the Provision of an Asylum Partnership...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
100match
#4 - Clarify in Cabinet Manual that implementing legislation agreement does not signify treaty approval.
We found the arguments that implementing legislation provides an appropriate opportunity for scrutinising and considering treaties in their entirety to be wholly unconvincing. As such, the current arrangements do not deliver a constitutionally sufficient level of scrutiny; nor do they provide an opportunity for Parliament to approve important policies which can have a significant impact on domestic affairs....
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
90match
#43 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
The Supreme Court relied heavily on the evidence of the UNHCR in making its assessment of whether Rwanda is a safe country. The rapid timetable for Parliamentary scrutiny of the Treaty did not allow enough time for UNHCR to respond to our call for evidence but on 15 January 2024 it published an updated assessment taking into account...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
90match
#30 - Devolved legislatures' scrutiny of international agreements impacting their competence is crucial.
How the devolved legislatures choose to carry out effective scrutiny of relevant aspects is a matter for them to determine. However, we believe that their scrutiny of international agreements which involve areas of devolved competence is important. 66 Parliamentary Scrutiny of International Agreements in the 21st century As set out above, the need for this scrutiny to take...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
90match
#28 - Strengthen international agreement scrutiny in Commons committees and establish a new bespoke committee.
The current arrangements in Parliament for the scrutiny of international agreements are not commensurate with their constitutional importance. The House of Lords has taken steps to address this constitutional lacuna with the establishment of the International Agreements Committee. By contrast, the scrutiny arrangements in the House of Commons are currently insufficient to carry out what is a core...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
87match
#43 - Delayed publication of Department's accounts undermines parliamentary scrutiny and public assurance.
The Department stated that it has worked to bring forward the delivery of its 2024–25 accounts to September 2025, a four-month improvement in timeliness. To do so, the Department said it had performed a significant lessons-learned exercise alongside the National Audit Office and increased the capability and capacity of its finance team. HM Treasury’s accounts direction for the...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
83match
#12 - Inadequate time and resources prevented detailed scrutiny of Bill's delegated powers.
We have not had the time or resource to comb through the Bill or take evidence on the delegated powers within it, although we note that the published Delegated Powers Memorandum for the Bill is 75 pages long. We stated at the beginning of this Report that the Bill’s timetable and handling has not allowed us to conduct...
Matched on
terms: inadequate, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
83match
#28 - Ministry of Defence provides unsatisfactory proposals for parliamentary scrutiny of future spending plans.
We held this inquiry in the sincere hope that by its end we would have heard clear proposals from the Department as to how this Committee, and by extension Parliament, would be able to scrutinise annually the crucial issue of its forward spending plans.58 The Department acknowledged that it works better with scrutiny from this Committee and the...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
82match
#52 - 24th Report - Scrutiny of International Agreements: Agreement with Switzerland on the Mutual Recognition of Professional...
Noting these concerns, we report the Agreement to the House for special attention. 2 Department for Business and Trade, Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Swiss Confederation on Recognition of Professional Qualifications (20 June 2023): https://assets .publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data /file/1162806/uk-switzerland-rpq-agreement.pdf [accessed 13 September 2023] 3 HC Deb, 4 September 2023, HCWS999 4 Department...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
82match
#47 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
In November the Prime Minister indicated a desire to ratify the Treaty as quickly as possible, which could be as early as February on the expiry of the CRAG scrutiny period. If the Government ratifies immediately, it gives the Government of Rwanda control over when the Treaty enters into force. 67 Rwanda might ratify before all the implementing...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
78match
#49 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
In making this recommendation we draw to the attention of the House the terms of section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act which provide that the House of Commons has the power to delay the ratification of a treaty. The House of Lords can also resolve that a treaty should not be ratified but the Government...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
78match
#48 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
The Government should submit further information to Parliament in due course to confirm that the necessary legal and practical steps and training identified in this report, which underpin the protections provided for in the Treaty, have been put in place and bedded in. It should then allow for a further debate before proceeding to ratification.
Matched on
terms: scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
78match
#46 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
Greater transparency is also required about aspects of the Treaty’s implementation to allow for a full assessment . Witnesses to this inquiry highlighted a number of areas of uncertainty as discussed in this report. The Government has now published some additional documentation through links in its revised Policy Statement, but the lateness of this disclosure means that we...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
78match
#45 - 4th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK–Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership
The Government has presented the Rwanda Treaty to Parliament as an answer to the Supreme Court judgment and has asked Parliament, on the basis of the Treaty, to declare that Rwanda is a safe country. While the Treaty might in time provide the basis for such an assessment if it is rigorously implemented, as things stand the arrangements...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
78match
#26 - Parliament's scrutiny of international agreements requires involvement throughout the entire lifecycle.
To carry out its constitutional function effectively in regard to the scrutiny of international agreements, it is not enough for Parliament to be involved only at the end of the process. A new approach to conceptualising international negotiations and international agreements needs to be developed in the UK whereby Parliament is involved throughout the process or ‘lifecycle’ of...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny, treaty
Committee recommendation
74match
#9 - Prioritise updating Concordat on International Relations to clarify devolved treaty consultation arrangements.
While many of the principles in the Concordat on International Relations appear to us to continue to be the right ones, the Concordat itself clearly needs to be updated, and the cooperation that it facilitates must take place in earnest. We recommend that the Concordat on International Relations be replaced or updated. This new or revised document should...
Matched on
terms: treaty
Committee recommendation
74match
#5 - International agreements increasingly function as domestic legislation, requiring parliamentary concern.
Over the last century, there have been significant quantitative and qualitative changes to the nature of international agreements; they now reach into people’s everyday lives in the UK and around the world. They seek not only to deal with relations between states, but increasingly to address problems which one state cannot solve alone. In many instances, treaties have,...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary
Committee recommendation
73match
#6 - 6th Report - The UK-US economic relationship: 250 years on
By implementing UK-US trade commitments through non-binding agreements and secondary legislation, the UK Government is conducting trade policy in a way that limits opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny. The Secretary of State suggested that Members would have the chance to scrutinise the EPD when presented to the House, but no date for this has been set. Furthermore, the use...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
73match
#6 - Parliament's insufficient engagement with international agreements undermines its core constitutional function.
Parliament is not sufficiently engaged with international agreements. The UK’s parliamentary democracy operates on the basis of the dual constitutional principles of parliamentary sovereignty and parliamentary accountability. As such it must be understood that scrutiny of international agreements is a core constitutional function of the UK Parliament.
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
69match
#7 - 6th Report - The UK-US economic relationship: 250 years on
The Government should honour its commitments to the House and ensure the EPD and the recent UK-US agreements are presented properly to the House for scrutiny. If it cannot do this, the Government should explain how parliamentary scrutiny will be assured for each agreement as implementation proceeds through secondary legislation. (Recommendation, Paragraph 32)
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
66match
#22 - 6th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for...
When an accession process commences, we call on the Government to subject it to the same process of consultation and modelling as they would for a new FTA partner. In line with this approach, we further welcome the Government’s commitment to subject any future accession to the agreement to the CRAG scrutiny framework.
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
66match
#2 - 6th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for...
We bring the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership to the special attention of the House on the grounds that it is politically important and gives rise to issues of public policy. We make this report to the House for debate.
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
66match
#31 - Mandate Government to notify committees when discussing treaty extension with Crown Dependencies or Overseas Territories.
We are encouraged by the evidence we received on the regular and effective discussion and consultation between both the Ministry of Justice and Crown Dependencies and the FCDO and the Overseas Territories with regard to treaties that could be extended to them. We call on the Government to ensure that it notifies the new sifting committee - as...
Matched on
terms: treaty
Committee recommendation
66match
#29 - Review additional resources required for effective scrutiny of international agreements in Commons.
Effective scrutiny of international agreements requires both policy expertise and expertise in international agreements and law. We recommend that a review is carried out to consider whether and what additional resource is required to support effective scrutiny of international agreements in the House of Commons.
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
66match
#13 - Committee conducted urgent scrutiny of Children's Wellbeing Bill under government timetable constraints.
We have worked at pace on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to contribute to fulfil our scrutiny role within the parameters set by the Government’s timetable and increase transparency for the benefit of the House and, we hope, those who will be affected by the legislation. We are particularly grateful to those young adults who gave evidence...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
65match
#3 - Domestic implementation required for treaties to affect UK law, but Parliament's influence is limited.
The UK is a dualist state, meaning that, in order for obligations entered into through treaties to have effect in UK law, domestic implementation is required. This is an important feature of the UK’s constitutional system, ensuring that any changes to domestic law needed to implement treaties must be considered by Parliament. While treaties bind the UK as...
Matched on
terms: treaty
NAO recommendation
64match
Progress with trade negotiations
DIT should consider how it can support improvements in the robustness and effectiveness of Parliamentary scrutiny, informed by the recommendations and views of the International Agreements Committee and the International Trade Committee. It should also provide greater certainty about the arrangements for scrutiny of amendments to existing agreements.
Matched on
terms: parliamentary, scrutiny
Committee recommendation
62match
#3 - Government disregarded guidelines and hindered scrutiny of Bill through poor engagement
The Government has neither followed its own guidelines, nor engaged as productively as we would have liked with our Committee over this Bill. The interval between introduction and Second Reading was not long enough for proper preparation by Members of the House. The publication of the Impact Assessment over a month after the Bill was introduced and halfway...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
62match
#2 - Government's compressed bill timetable obstructs effective select committee scrutiny
The Government did not, in this case, publish the Bill in draft. Nonetheless, the Bill’s timetable could have factored in time for our Committee to come to a considered view on its contents. Although the Minister for School Standards had written to us of her wish to “work closely” with the Committee, no allowance was made for select...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
62match
#60 - Implement the Beijing Treaty, extending moral rights to audiovisual performances, within six months.
We repeat our predecessor Committee’s calls for the Government to implement the Beijing Treaty within the next six months, including extending unwaivable moral rights to audiovisual performances. (Recommendation, Paragraph 209) The work of the BFI
Matched on
terms: treaty
Committee recommendation
61match
#64 - 9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia
We report the Agreement to the House for special attention and debate. < Back Next > © Parliamentary copyright 2025 A-Z index Glossary Contact us Freedom of Information Jobs Using this website Copyright Privacy notice Cookie policy Cookie Manager House of Lords - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia - International Agreements Committee Accessibility Email...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary
Committee recommendation
61match
#32 - Establish a convention for Commons to approve CD/OT related treaties only with their consent.
We are satisfied that the existing conventions are strong enough to ensure that a treaty will not be extended to the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories without their consent. This consent should also be communicated to Parliament at the point where the Government seeks to extend territorial applicability to include one or more jurisdictions. The changes to require...
Matched on
terms: treaty
Committee recommendation
57match
#27 - Reach a working agreement between Government and Parliament on negotiation progress and mandates.
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...
Matched on
terms: parliamentary
Committee recommendation
57match
#25 - Mandate UK Government to inform devolved governments of relevant NLBIs for central recording.
We stress the importance of the UK Government consistently informing devolved governments when it reaches an NLBI that has implications for devolved competence, and for this to be indicated in the central repository recommended in paragraph 94 above. Furthermore, we would expect devolved governments to keep a record of all NLBIs that they reach with international partners and...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
53match
#24 - Establish confidential briefing arrangements for Commons committees on secret NLBIs.
We recognise that, on occasion, there may be good reasons why the Government has to reach NLBIs in secret, for instance in relation to matters of defence or national security. This does not diminish the Government’s accountability to Parliament for placing obligations on the UK. As such, we recommend that when such an agreement is reached, arrangements are...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
53match
#23 - Require government to make time for NLBI debates upon committee or Opposition request.
We further believe that if a request is made by a parliamentary committee or the Leader of the Official Opposition for a debate and vote on an NLBI, the Government should make time for this on the floor of the House. This practice should be set out in guidance to ministers and civil servants.
Matched on
terms: parliamentary
Committee recommendation
53match
#7 - Require explicit House of Commons approval for all treaties before entering into force.
Currently, there is no requirement for Parliament to approve treaties. We find this situation untenable. Parliament’s approval must be sought when the Government seeks to bind or change in any material way the UK’s obligations under international law. We therefore recommend that, as a matter of constitutional principle, all treaties should require the explicit approval of the democratically...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
53match
#29 - Ministry of Defence fails to outline precise methodology for annual spending plan updates to Parliament.
At the end of our evidence session, we asked the Department to write to us setting out a satisfactory and precise methodology for providing Parliament with an update on its spending plans at least once a year.62 The Permanent Secretary has since written to us, but yet again he has failed to address our concerns. Instead, the letter...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
53match
#5 - Provide Parliament with proposal for annual equipment procurement updates by September 2025.
We are extremely disappointed that the Permanent Secretary did not have concrete suggestions for how the Department will provide Parliament with annual reporting on its plans. The Department last published a full Equipment Plan in November 2022. Since July 2023, it has written to both this and the previous Public Accounts Committee several times with excuses for why...
Matched on
terms: scrutiny
Committee recommendation
49match
#8 - Outdated Concordat on International Relations requires urgent update for devolved nations.
The UK Government carries out negotiations and enters into treaties for the whole of the UK. However, under the UK’s devolution arrangements, day to day responsibility for areas of domestic policy which could be impacted by treaties often lies with the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In these areas, consultation and coordination between the UK...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#63 - 9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia
Nevertheless, it is clear that if the Agreement is not ratified, and if a future Government attempted to go on resisting international pressure to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, Mauritius is likely to resume its campaign through international courts with a view to obtaining a legally binding judgment on sovereignty against the UK. We heard that there...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#61 - 9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia
The Base on Diego Garcia is a vital UK national asset and we agree with the Government that securing its long-term effective operation is critical. The Government is confident that the Defence and Security rights conferred by the Agreement with Mauritius achieve that objective and we have not heard any substantial disagreement with that proposition - at least...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#60 - 9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia
In summary, our view of the Agreement is the following.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#59 - 9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia
Our report draws some specific conclusions about the Agreement and makes a number of recommendations. These conclusions and recommendations are set out in paragraphs 33, 39, 46, 49, 51, 55, and 57 above.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#10 - Fourth Report: A brave new Britain? The future of the UK’s international policy
The UK has a strong capacity to use its memberships and influence to bring countries together in dialogue. Contributors also admired the UK as a pragmatic country whose thought leadership, and the legal drafting capabilities of the FCDO’s lawyers, can bring the world together through agreed, stable and predictable frameworks. The UK’s own adherence to such frameworks is...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#22 - Parliament needs to be informed and scrutinise new non-legally binding instruments.
It is clear that NLBIs are already a significant part of how states manage relations between one another and make policy decisions internationally. Arrangements therefore need to be put in place for Parliament to be informed of new NLBIs and, if necessary, to scrutinise them. We would not expect routine and regular votes to approve NLBIs, but this...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#4 - Require Government to follow legislative guidelines and engage meaningfully with select committees
We recommend that the Government undertakes to follow the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation and engage meaningfully, and in a timely way, with select committees as a way of improving policy making and building consensus on important legislation. We further recommend that the Government provide a memorandum to the Liaison Committee demonstrating how it plans to engage...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#5 - 3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race
In its response to this report, the government should set out how commitments made under the UK-US agreement will deliver tangible benefits for NHS patients and system sustainability, rather than simply improving commercial conditions for industry. It should commit to ensuring that UK medicine policy will remain sovereign, transparent, and grounded in domestic priorities, and ensure that future...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#4 - 3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race
The UK-US pharmaceutical agreement has secured benefits— notably exemption from tariffs—but it also appears to have involved significant commitments affecting core elements of UK domestic policy. Changes relating to medicine spending, NICE thresholds, and the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) are key to UK health policy, and it is disappointing that it is...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#25 - Engage with EU 'European works' discussions and report actions to protect UK status.
The Government must be fully engaged with the EU’s discussions on ‘European works’ and mitigate any potential changes to the UK’s status under it. We ask the Government to write to us every six months with its latest assessment of the EU and its member states’ positions, relevant debates and policy developments, plus the action it is taking...
Matched on
classifier match