Select Committee on the
European Union
PROGRESS OF SCRUTINY
This document records the decisions taken on European
documents sent to the Committee for scrutiny. It does not give
full details of the Committee's current work including meetings,
which are to be found in the Weekly Agenda of Select Committees,
which is available from the Committee Office - see enquiry number
below.
THE DOCUMENT IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS:
PART I: DOCUMENTS CURRENTLY UNDER SCRUTINY IN THE
HOUSE OF LORDS
List of documents which have been referred to the
Select Committee or one or more of the Sub-Committees, and which
remain under scrutiny.
PART II: DOCUMENTS WHICH HAVE CLEARED SCRUTINY IN
THE HOUSE OF LORDS
(i) List of documents which have been cleared
from further scrutiny by the Chairman of the Committee on 18 and
25 March.
(ii) List of documents which been considered
by the Select Committee or one or more Sub-Committee(s) and cleared
from further scrutiny. A note in bold type indicates the action
(if any) taken on each document.
Enquiries
This document is prepared in the Committee Office,
House of Lords. Enquiries relating to this document and general
enquiries about the work of the European Union Select Committee
and its Sub-Committees should be addressed to:
Mr Shaun Connor
Committee Office
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
Tel: 020 7219 5791
On Monday 6th December
1999, the House agreed a Scrutiny Reserve Resolution. The effect
of this Resolution is that the Government should not agree in
the Council of Ministers to any proposal on which parliamentary
scrutiny has not been completed. The text of the Resolution is:
"(1) No Minister of the Crown
should give agreement in the Council to any proposal for European
Community legislation or for a common strategy, joint action or
common position under Title V or a common position, framework
decision, decision or convention under Title VI of the Treaty
on European Union—
(a) which is still subject to scrutiny
(that is, on which the European Union Committee has not completed
its scrutiny); and
(b) on which the European Union Committee
has made a report to the House for debate, but on which the debate
has not yet taken place.
(2) In this Resolution, any reference
to agreement to a proposal includes—
(a) agreement to a programme, plan
or recommendation for European Community legislation;
(b) political agreement;
(c) in the case of a proposal on
which the Council acts in accordance with the procedure referred
to in Article 251 of the Treaty establishing the European Community
(co-decision), agreement to a common position, to an act in the
form of a common position incorporating amendments proposed by
the European Parliament, and to a joint text; and
(d) in the case of a proposal on
which the Council acts in accordance with the procedure referred
to in Article 252 of the Treaty establishing the European Community
(co-operation), agreement to a common position.
(3) The Minister concerned may, however,
give agreement to a proposal which is still subject to scrutiny
or which is awaiting debate in the House—
(a) if he considers that it is confidential,
routine or trivial or is substantially the same as a proposal
on which scrutiny has been completed;
(b) if the European Union Committee
has indicated that agreement need not be withheld pending completion
of scrutiny or the holding of the debate.
(4) The Minister concerned may also
give agreement to a proposal which is still subject to scrutiny
or awaiting debate in the House if he decides that for special
reasons agreement should be given; but he should explain his reasons—
(a) in every such case, to the European
Union Committee at the first opportunity after reaching his decision;
and
(b) in the case of a proposal awaiting
debate in the House, to the House at the opening of the debate
on the Committee's Report.
(5) In relation to any proposal which
requires adoption by unanimity, abstention shall, for the purposes
of paragraph (4), be treated as giving agreement."
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