1 Introduction
1. This annual review of scrutiny of Government by
select committees covers the calendar year 2003, with some reference
to events in early 2004. Activity levels remain high. [1]
2. Landmarks since last year's Report include:
- ongoing reinforcement of committee
staffs as a result of a Review of Select Committee Resources;
- greater use of pre-legislative scrutiny, with
better notice of forthcoming draft bills;
- support from the Committee Office Scrutiny Unit
now at full complement;
- more on-line consultation;
- a modernised two-colour format for reports;
- dedicated media advice and support to a group
of committees, enabling pro-active media work;
- extension of webcasting[2]
to all public meetings of committees, either in sound or vision,
with a 14-day archive;
- an increasing quota of debates on committee reports
in Westminster Hall;
- continuing twice-yearly sessions of evidence
from the Prime Minister.
3. Some themes emerge in the annual reports which,
as last year, have been issued separately by each committee.[3]
We have drawn on them for the text in the rest of this Report.
1 There was a 35% increase in substantive reports issued
by departmental select committees in Session 2002-03 and a new
Sessional high overall of 350 reports; departmental select committees
issued 161 substantive reports in Session 2002-03, compared with
119 in Session 2001-02. Back
2
From January 2004. Back
3
See Appendix 1 for a full list; Appendix 2 contains a memorandum
from the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. The
Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments' First Special Report
of 2002-03, Departmental Returns 2000-2002, HC 1329, reviews
the action taken by Departments on defects in instruments reported
upon by the Committee. The Regulatory Reform Committee published
its most recent annual report on The Operation of the Regulatory
Reform Act 2001 on 5 November 2003. (First Special Report
of Session 2002-03, The Operation of the Regulatory Reform
Act 2001, HC 908.) Back
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