Inadequate Parliamentary Treaty Scrutiny

#52 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#50 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#49 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#48 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#47 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#46 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#45 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#43 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#22 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#2 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#64 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#63 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#61 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#60 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: In summary, our view of the Agreement is the following.

Report: Government response published

#59 —

International Agreements Committee

Recommendation: 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.

Report: Government response published

#5 —

Science and Technology Committee (Commons)

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#4 —

Science and Technology Committee (Commons)

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#7 —

Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: No government response linked; deadline passed

#6 —

Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: No government response linked; deadline passed

#10 —

Foreign Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#32 — Establish a convention for Commons to approve CD/OT related treaties only with their consent.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#31 — Mandate Government to notify committees when discussing treaty extension with Crown Dependencies or Overseas Territories.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#30 — Devolved legislatures' scrutiny of international agreements impacting their competence is crucial.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#29 — Review additional resources required for effective scrutiny of international agreements in Commons.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#28 — Strengthen international agreement scrutiny in Commons committees and establish a new bespoke committee.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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, …

Report: Government response published

#27 — Reach a working agreement between Government and Parliament on negotiation progress and mandates.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

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 …

Report: Government response published

#26 — Parliament's scrutiny of international agreements requires involvement throughout the entire lifecycle.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#25 — Mandate UK Government to inform devolved governments of relevant NLBIs for central recording.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#24 — Establish confidential briefing arrangements for Commons committees on secret NLBIs.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#23 — Require government to make time for NLBI debates upon committee or Opposition request.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#22 — Parliament needs to be informed and scrutinise new non-legally binding instruments.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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, …

Report: Government response published

#9 — Prioritise updating Concordat on International Relations to clarify devolved treaty consultation arrangements.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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. …

Report: Government response published

#8 — Outdated Concordat on International Relations requires urgent update for devolved nations.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#7 — Require explicit House of Commons approval for all treaties before entering into force.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#6 — Parliament's insufficient engagement with international agreements undermines its core constitutional function.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#5 — International agreements increasingly function as domestic legislation, requiring parliamentary concern.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#4 — Clarify in Cabinet Manual that implementing legislation agreement does not signify treaty approval.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#3 — Domestic implementation required for treaties to affect UK law, but Parliament's influence is limited.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#13 — Committee conducted urgent scrutiny of Children's Wellbeing Bill under government timetable constraints.

Education Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#12 — Inadequate time and resources prevented detailed scrutiny of Bill's delegated powers.

Education Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#4 — Require Government to follow legislative guidelines and engage meaningfully with select committees

Education Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#3 — Government disregarded guidelines and hindered scrutiny of Bill through poor engagement

Education Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#2 — Government's compressed bill timetable obstructs effective select committee scrutiny

Education Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#60 — Implement the Beijing Treaty, extending moral rights to audiovisual performances, within six months.

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: 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

Report: Government response published

#25 — Engage with EU 'European works' discussions and report actions to protect UK status.

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#29 — Ministry of Defence fails to outline precise methodology for annual spending plan updates to Parliament.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#28 — Ministry of Defence provides unsatisfactory proposals for parliamentary scrutiny of future spending plans.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published

#6 — Provide Parliament with annual Defence Nuclear Enterprise costs, budget proportion, and variance explanations.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The ever-increasing cost of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (the DNE) is likely to add pressure on the Department’s overall budgets. In 2024–25 the nuclear budget was £10.9 billion, around 18% of the whole defence budget (unchanged as a percentage from …

Report: Government response published

#5 — Provide Parliament with proposal for annual equipment procurement updates by September 2025.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: 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, …

Report: Government response published

#43 — Delayed publication of Department's accounts undermines parliamentary scrutiny and public assurance.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: 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 …

Report: Government response published