Select Committee on the Constitution
COVID-19 and the use and scrutiny of emergency powers
3rd Report of Session 2019-21 - published 10 June 2021 - HL Paper 15
Contents
Chapter 2: Parliamentary scrutiny during the pandemic
What is parliamentary scrutiny and why does it matter?
What is emergency legislation?
Coronavirus legislation: an overview
Box 1: COVID-19 legislation: an overview
Legislative options available to the Government
The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
Box 2: Secondary legislation: an overview
Chapter 3: Coordination across the UK
Emergency powers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Relations between central and local government
Chapter 4: Legal clarity and accessibility
Conflict between guidance and law
Publication of legal changes at short notice
Box 3: The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020
Challenges for public authorities
Devolution and geographic variation
Chapter 5: Future use of emergency powers
Review of emergency legislation
Delegation of powers and use of delegated legislation
Summary of conclusions and recommendations
Appendix 1: List of Members and declarations of interest
Evidence is published online at https://committees.parliament.uk/work/298/constitutional-implications-of-covid19/ and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 7219 3074).
Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.