Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Liaison Committee's Books

Parliamentary scrutiny of the Government's finances needs to be improved. The purpose of scrutiny is to make the government's financial decisions transparent, to give those outside Parliament opportunity to comment, to have the opportunity to influence the Government's financial decisions and to hold the Government, departments and other public bodies to account. The complexity of the Government's financial system is a major problem. There are: departmental budgets determined in spending reviews; estimates; and resource accounts. Complicated reconciliations are needed to relate one to another. The Treasury has started an Alignment Project which should improve consistency and continuity between these three types of document. Parliament is not receiving the information required for effective scrutiny. Financial reporting to Parliament should: include the information that departmental managers use to monitor performance, rather than just financial control and audit information; enable an overall view of planned expenditure; highlight the information which is significant; relate the information to objectives and to what is achieved by spending the money; identify key risks; use graphs; be provided in good time; use plain English; and enable as assessment of the quality of financial management. The Committee makes specific proposals based on these principles. Select committees and the House should, together, engage with financial issues before the Government makes decisions. The House should take back the right to debate and vote on individual government programmes or items of expenditure, and more than three days a year (the current allotment) should be made available for this purpose.

Select Committees have undertaken pre-appointment hearings since 2007. These have a fourfold purpose: Scrutiny of the quality of ministerial decision making; Providing public reassurance that those appointed to key public offices are selected on merit; Enhancing the appointee's legitimacy in undertaking their function; Providing public evidence of the candidate's independence of mind. A report by the Liaison Committee a year ago (HC 1230, session 2010-12, ISBN 9780215561244) reviewed the process and, drawing on research by the UCL Constitution Unit and the Institute for Government, made several recommendations to strengthen the accountability of ministerial appointments. The Government has rejected this proposed approach, stating only that it "has considered [it]... with interest.." It also fails to take up the Committee's recommendation that political appointments such as the UK's EU Commissioner, or Ambassadors or High Commissioners appointed from outside the career diplomatic service should be subject to pre appointment scrutiny. The June 2012 Cabinet Office guidance has been issued without any further reference to the committee and its recommendations, and the Committee's own draft guidance is more or less ignored.

work of committees In 2008-09 : Second report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal minutes and Appendices

This report follows' on from the Reform Committee's first report, 2008-09 (HC 1117, ISBN 9780215542175). The Liaison Committee here agrees with their comment in that report that 'the House devotes considerable resources to select committees and then largely neglects their output in drawing up the House agenda'. Select committees need to have their output linked through debate and dialogue into the overall system for holding government to account. The Liaison Committee calls for a positive response to the full range of the Reform Committee's proposals and this report sets out to inform the House as it considers the recommendations

Responses to HC 697, session 2012-13 (ISBN 9780215049889)

The Liaison Committee, having considered the proposals of the Inside the Commons documentary (approved by the Administration Committee and House of Commons Commission in June 2013) commends the House motion that: notwithstanding the practice of the House, a select committee may, with the unanimous consent of all its members, permit the filming of private deliberative meetings for the purposes of the documentary which was approved by the House of Commons Commission on 15 June 2013.

Pre-appointment hearings by select Committees : First report session 2007 - 2008, report and annexes, together with formal Minutes

In 2012 the House of Commons introduced a new 'core task' for all select committees that focused on public engagement as a distinctive and explicit factor of their work. This report focuses on how the select committees have responded to the new core task. Three core conclusions emerged: a) there has been a significant shift within the select committee system to taking public engagement seriously and this is reflected in many examples of innovation; b) this shift, however, has not been systematic and levels of public engagement vary significantly from committee to committee; and c) a more vibrant and systematic approach to public engagement is urgently needed but this will require increased resources, a deeper appreciation of the distinctive contribution that select committees can make and a deeper cultural change at Westminster. This report therefore details innovations in relation to the use of social media, the structure of inquiries and innovative outreach. Public engagement has not yet been fully embedded into the culture of parliament but there is evidence of significant 'cracks and wedges' that can now be built-upon and extended during the 2015-20 Parliament. Clearly the focus of the committee and the topic of the inquiry will have some bearing on the approach to engagement adopted but a more expansive and ambitious approach across the board is to be encouraged. This report leads to a ten-point set of inter-related recommendations but they can all be connected in the sense that the existing social research demonstrates a clear desire on the part of the public to 'do politics differently'.

In this report the Welsh Affairs and Culture, Media and Sport committees approve the appointment of Huw Jones as Chairman of S4C, the Welsh language national broadcaster. The two committees held a joint pre-appointment hearing with Huw Jones, the Government's preferred candidate for Chairman of the S4C Authority. This followed earlier reports from both committees expressing concern for the future independence of S4C after new governance and funding arrangements with the BBC were introduced - Welsh Affairs Committee: S4C: fifth report of session 2010-12, HC 614 (ISBN 9780215559449) and Culture, Media and Sport Committee, BBC Licence Fee Settlement and Annual Report, fourth report of session 2010-12, HC 454 (ISBN 9780215559654). The committees are satisfied that Huw Jones has demonstrated the high degree of professional competence and personal independence required for the post. They recommend that the Minister proceed with the appointment.

Annual report For 2004 : First report of session 2004-05, report, together with appendices and formal Minutes

On 31 October 2011 the Committee held a pre-appointment hearing with the Government's nominee for the post of Chair of the Homes and Communities Agency Regulation Committee, Julian Ashby. On the basis of the evidence provided at that hearing, the Committee concluded that he is a suitable candidate for the post. One matter concerning the need for arrangements to avoid a potential perception of conflicts of interest was brought to the Secretary of State's attention.

Public service contracts with the private sector need to deliver good quality services and value-for-money for the taxpayer. Select Committees scrutinising the work of departments across Government have found that, on too many occasions, the Civil Service has failed to design effective contracts or to monitor contracts adequately. This report has collated this evidence and demonstrated that there are systemic failings in Civil Service contract management. We have raised specific concerns about the paucity of commercial skills, and officials feeling unable to speak truth to power. The Committee therefore supports the establishment of a Parliamentary Commission on the Civil Service to examine the capacity, skills and operation of Government departments. The contracts issue demonstrates how significantly the role of the Civil Service has changed since the Northcote-Trevelyan Report set out the principles on which it should operate. A coherent analysis of the state of the Civil Service, and the requirements placed upon it, would help to improve governance across Whitehall, and help to eliminate the contract-management failures seen in recent years

The committees held a joint pre-appointment hearing with Dr Colette Bowe, the chairman-elect of Ofcom. This position is one of those key public positions identified by the Governance of Britain green paper as qualifying for pre-appointment hearings from Parliamentary committees. The report examines briefly the role the chairman and provides some biographical information about Dr Bowe, her cv, and a transcript of the oral hearing. The committees conclude, having questioned Dr Bowe, that she is a suitable candidate for the post.

In this report the Liaison Committee conducts a brief review of House of Lords policy committees, in advance of the appointment of those committees in the new Parliament

Incorporating HC 983-i-iv, session 2007-08

Parliament and the legislative Process : 14th report of session 2003-04, Vol. 2: Evidence

The draft Cabinet Manual was published by the Cabinet Office on 14 December 2010. Its development was first announced in February 2010, when, in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research, the then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, stated that he had asked the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, "to lead work to consolidate the existing unwritten, piecemeal conventions that govern much of the way central government operates under our existing constitution into a single written document." The concept of a Cabinet Manual appears to have drawn extensively upon experience in New Zealand. The full draft of the Manual (incorporating a revised version of the chapter on elections and government formation) was published with the agreement of the new Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and after its text had been approved by the Cabinet following consideration by the relevant Cabinet sub-committee and was made subject to public consultation. The Cabinet Secretary has stated that he expects to invite Cabinet to endorse a revised version of the Cabinet Manual in the spring of 2011. This report forms the Select Committee on the Constitution's response to the consultation. It is also intended to inform Members of the House about the issues which arise from the Manual's publication.

The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) has concluded a year-long inquiry into the future of the Civil Service with only one recommendation: that Parliament should establish a Joint Committee of both Houses to sit as a Commission on the future of the Civil Service. It should be constituted within the next few months and report before the end of the Parliament with a comprehensive change programme for Whitehall with a timetable to be implemented over the lifetime of the next Parliament. The Report considers the increased tensions between ministers and officials which have become widely reported, and places the problems in Whitehall in a wider context of a Civil Service built on the Northcote-Trevelyan settlement established in 1853 and the Haldane principles of ministerial accountability set out in 1919. The government's Civil Service Reform Plan lacks strategic coherence and clear leadership from a united team of ministers and officials. The Northcote-Trevelyan Civil Service remains the most effective way of supporting the democratically elected Government and future administrations in the UK. Divided leadership and confused accountabilities in Whitehall have led to problems: a low level of engagement amongst civil servants in some departments and agencies, and a general lack of trust and openness; the Civil Service exhibits the key characteristics of a failing organisation with the leadership are in denial about the scale of the challenge they face. There is a persistent lack of key skills and capabilities across Whitehall and an unacceptably high level of churn of lead officials, which is incompatible with good government.

There has been concern in the last few years that former Ministers and Crown Servants have inappropriately used knowledge they gained in Government to seek new employment in other sectors. Over two years ago the Committee launched an inquiry to examine the effectiveness of the Business Appointment Rules in ensuring propriety in the future employment of former Ministers and senior Crown servants; and to consider the potential of the Big Society agenda to increase traffic through the "revolving door" between the public sector and business and the voluntary sector. The report "The Business Appointment Rules" was published on 17 July 2012. Some twenty months later, the Government has not responded to the Report. The Committee has raised this matter both through correspondence with the Rt Hon Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, and by way of Parliamentary Questions. The Committee views the Government failure to respond to a Select Committee Report as unacceptable behaviour and in this instance as obstructive and secretive, both showing a cavalier attitude in its responsibilities towards Parliament and thereby deliberately impeding a cross-party scrutiny of Government policy in this area.

The report of the Leader's Group examining the working practices of the House of Lords and the operation of self-regulation was published today (Tuesday 26 April). Recommendations in the report include changes to enable the Lords better to fulfil its core functions of scrutinising government, testing out and reviewing legislation, and debating important issues. The report also suggests ways in which the House of Lords could make the most of its unique strengths and resources, including its Members' skills and experience.

This report looks at ways the House of Commons can make itself more accessible so that its work is more clearly understood. The main sections look at: connecting with young people, both in terms of educational resources in the House and the citizenship curriculum; information for the public and in particular the web site; visitors; public petitions; the House of Commons and the media; communications between Members and their constituents.

The Committee wrote to Government Departments in May 2001, asking them to explain why they refused to provide information in response to some Parliamentary questions. Only seven responses were received by November 2001 and the last one was received in March 2002 and this long delay is unacceptable. The Committee recommends that where Departments withhold information under an exemption of the Code of Practice, they should cite the relevant exemption in their written answers. Wherever possible, the full answer to a written question should be placed on the official record. One of the reasons given for withholding information is "commercial confidentiality", for instance, in connection with PFI and PPP matters, but openness should be given a higher priority. It is recommended that a Member should be able to ask the Committee to refer unsatisfactory answers to questions back to the Department concerned. At the request of the Leader of the House, a quarterly report is now prepared about the number of questions which remain unanswered at the end of a Session, and another quarterly report is prepared regarding "I will write" answers. These reports should be published in the interests of transparency. The Committee agrees with the Procedure Committee, that there should be a daily quota per member of five named day questions. This should improve the speed and quality of answers. It is hoped that this report, and those in successive sessions, on parliamentary questions, should be debated in the House.

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