1 The Governance of
Britain
1. On the 3 July 2007 the Government published a
Green Paper entitled 'The Governance of Britain'.[1]
In his statement to the House of Commons on the same day,
the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, introduced these proposals
as addressing the need for a "new constitutional settlement
that entrusts more power to Parliament and the British people".[2]
While acknowledging that constitutional change "will not
be the work of just one Bill or one year or one Parliament"[3]
the Prime Minister presented what he described as a "route
map" seeking to address the issues of holding power more
accountable and enhancing the rights and responsibilities of the
citizen.[4]
2. We welcome this wide ranging and comprehensive
statement of the Government's proposals for constitutional reform
and the Ministry of Justice's commitment to deliver this "encyclopaedia"
of reforms[5] and the fact
that it reflects a deliberative approach to constitutional reform.
We have been critical of the lack of prior consultation on recent
changes, such as relation to the creation of the Ministry of Justice
and the reforms implemented by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
Since its creation in 2003, the Constitutional Affairs Committee
has contributed extensively to the continuing debate on constitutional
reform in this country; not least in two recent major Reports
on Party Funding and The Constitutional Role of the Attorney General[6]
as well as the establishment of a new system for appointing judges,
House of Lords reform, human rights legislation and its impact
on Government policy-making, the creation of the new Supreme Court,
the change in the role of Lord Chancellor and the introduction
of freedom of information (a full list of the Committee's relevant
Reports and evidence is attached at Annex A). The Committee will
take responsibility for scrutiny of the overall process of constitutional
reform.
3. We have already announced our inquiry into Devolution
and its impact on the UK's constitution, which will also address
some of the issues raised in this document. We will wish to consider
the proposal of a written constitution and the broad constitutional
issues such as direct democracy. We recognise the contribution
of other Select Committees and of the House of Lords Constitution
Committee and Joint Committees to the further development of many
of the proposed reforms identified in the Green Paper. The Devil
is in the detail in relation to many of these proposals. Select
Committees are an ideal forum to explore complex issues. We look
forward, in cooperation with colleagues on other Committees, to
playing a full role in taking forward consideration of the proposed
constitutional reforms.
1 Ministry of Justice, The Governance of Britain,
Cm 7170, July 2007 Back
2
HC Deb, 3 July 2007, col 815 Back
3
HC Deb, 3 July 2007, col 815 Back
4
HC Deb, 3 July 2007, col 815 Back
5
HC Deb, 3 July 2007, col 825 Back
6
Constitutional Affairs Committee, Party Funding, First
Report of Session 2006-07, HC 163 and Constitutional Role of
the Attorney General, Fifth Report of Session 2006-07, HC
306. Back
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