Letter to Rt Hon Alan Williams MP, Chairman
of the Liaison Committee from Andrew Dismore MP, Chairman of the
Joint Committee on Human Rights
As you will know, the Joint Committee on Human
Rights scrutinises all Government bills to assess their compatibility
with the UK's human rights obligations. During the last two years,
in addition to recommending that the Government should amend legislation
to take account of our concerns, we have published specific amendments
to bills to give effect to our recommendations. We have also published
amendments to give effect to, or promote debate of, recommendations
we have made in thematic reports or in scrutinising the Government's
response to adverse judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
or declarations of incompatibility by the UK courts.
Although our amendments have been agreed by
the Committee in the normal way, they may only be tabled by individual
Members. There is no indication on the Order Paper that the amendments
have been agreed by the Committee. This could make it difficult
to distinguish amendments which have been agreed and published
by the Committee from those tabled by our Members in their individual
capacities, particularly in the Commons where the pressure on
debating time is most intense.
The Committee agreed, in its annual report on
its work, to explore whether committees could table amendments
to bills in the House of Commons in their own name, rather than
in the names of individual Members. I should stress that this
issue is being raised by Commons Members in relation to Report
stage in the Commons: we are not intending to raise this issue
in the House of Lords.
I am aware that other committees sometimes agree
amendments for tabling at Report stage in the Commons, although
none do so as systematically as my Committee. I would be grateful
if you could put this issue on the agenda for a future meeting
of the Liaison Committee so we can discuss whether the Committee
wishes to take this matter further. I envisage that, if colleagues
agree, we could raise the issue with the Chairman of Ways and
Means and the Procedure Committee.
3 February 2009
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