Select Committee on Constitutional Affairs Second Special Report


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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Prepared 23 July 2007