The European Union Committee
The Committee considers EU documents in advance of
decisions being taken on them in Brussels, in order to influence
the Government's position and to hold them to account.
The Government are required to deposit EU documents
in Parliament, and to produce within two weeks an Explanatory
Memorandum setting out the implications for the UK. The Committee
examines these documents, and 'holds under scrutiny' any about
which it has concerns, entering into correspondence with the relevant
Minister until satisfied. Letters must be answered within two
weeks. Under the 'scrutiny reserve resolution', the Government
may not agree in the EU Council of Ministers to any proposal still
held under scrutiny; reasons must be given for any breach.
The Committee also conducts inquiries and makes reports.
The Government are required to respond in writing to a report's
recommendations within two months of publication. If the report
is for debate, then there is a debate in the House of Lords, which
a Minister attends and responds to.
The Committee has seven Sub-Committees which are:
Economic and Financial Affairs and International
Trade (Sub-Committee A)
Internal Market, Energy and Transport (Sub-Committee
B)
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy (Sub-Committee
C)
Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment (Sub-Committee
D)
Justice and Institutions (Sub-Committee E)
Home Affairs (Sub-Committee F)
Social Policies and Consumer Protection (Sub-Committee
G)
Our Membership
The Members of the European Union Committee are:
Lord Bowness Baroness
O'Cathain
Lord Carter of Coles Lord
Plumb
Lord Dear Lord Richard
Lord Dykes Lord Roper
(Chairman)
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock The Earl
of Sandwich
Lord Hannay of Chiswick Lord Teverson
Lord Harrison Lord Tomlinson
Baroness Howarth of Breckland Lord
Trimble
Lord Jopling Baroness
Young of Hornsey
Lord Maclennan of Rogart
Information about the Committee
For information freely available on the web, our
homepage is http://www.parliament.uk/hleu
There you will find many of our publications, along
with press notices, details of membership and forthcoming meetings,
and other information about the ongoing work of the Committee
and its Sub-Committees, each of which has its own homepage.
General Information
General information about the House of Lords and
its Committees, including guidance to witnesses, details of current
inquiries and forthcoming meetings is on the internet at
http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/
Select Committee Staff
The current staff of the Select Committee are Jake
Vaughan (Clerk), Dominique Gracia (2nd Clerk) and Hazel Scott
(Committee Assistant). The current staff of Sub-Committee A are
Stuart Stoner (Clerk), Laura Bonacorsi-Macleod (Policy Analyst)
and Sarah Yusuf (Committee Assistant).
Contacts for the European Union Committee
Contact details for individual Sub-Committees are
given on the website.
General correspondence should be addressed to the
Clerk of the European Union Committee, Committee Office, House
of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
General enquiries 020 7219 5791. The Committee's
email address is euclords@parliament.uk
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