Select Committee on the Constitution
Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties

20th Report of Session 2017-19 - published 30 April 2019 - HL Paper 345

---

Contents

Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Treaty-making and scrutiny

Introduction

Treaty-making in the UK

Treaties and the Royal Prerogative

Parliament’s scrutiny of treaties

Efficacy of the CRAG process

Committee scrutiny of treaties

Treaty scrutiny by the European Parliament

Chapter 3: Nature and volume of treaties

Introduction

Breadth of treaties

Volume of treaties

Chapter 4: Reforming treaty scrutiny

A treaty scrutiny committee

The stages of treaty scrutiny

Mandating treaty negotiations

Information provision at the opening of negotiations

During treaty negotiations

Information provision and transparency during treaty negotiations

Information-sharing and trust

Ratifying treaties

Functions of a treaty scrutiny committee during ratification

Time available for scrutiny

Information provided with signed treaties

Chapter 5: Devolution and treaty-making

Introduction

Treaty-making and the devolved executives

Inter-governmental relations

Treaties and the devolved legislatures

Summary of conclusions and recommendations

Appendix 1: List of Members and declarations of interest

Appendix 2: List of witnesses

Appendix 3: Letter from the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights to the Chairman, 20 February 2019

Appendix 4: Call for evidence

Evidence is published online at https://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary-scrutiny-of-treaties-inquiry and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 7219 3074).

Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.

---

---

© Parliamentary copyright 2019