Select committees

Structure and role

• Made up of around 11 backbench MPs

  • Mixture of parties in a way that reflects the makeup of the HoC

  • Chairs elected by all MPs

  • Members elected by their own parties

• Whips have no influence

• Vigorous scrutiny of legislation and departments

  • Produce a report of recommendations for legislation based on the evidence they’ve been presented with

• Take evidence from experts/civil servants/ministers/members of the public

  • Press release with a call for evidence, those who accept are questioned for two hours

    • Questions are based on the written evidence they submitted

• Differences from HoC

  • Horseshoe shape means it is not adversarial/partisan

  • Have more time to examine in great depth

  • Ministers cannot get away with fobbing them off with political slogans

Examples of SC

effective/middle/ineffective

role/membership/recent investigations/strengths/weaknesses

Public accounts committee

• Oversees govt expenditure and public spending, holding the govt accountable for its financial decisions

• Chaired by a senior opposition MP, with 15 members from across all parties

• 2022- investigation into PPE procurement during COVID-19 (when the govt gave PPE making contracts to random companies who had no experience) led by Dame Meg Hillier

  • Criticised wasteful spending and lack of oversight in procurement contracts

• 2023- investigation into tax fraud

  • Highlighted inefficiencies in HMRC’s approach to tackling tax fraud

• Has lots of influence due to its transparency and crossparty membership

• Findings and recommendations not binding

  • Cannot set policy or prevent future waste- limited to reviewing past spending

  • Govt often delays implementing recommendations

Departmental select committee

• Scrutinises the work, policies and spending of individual govt depts

• 11 MPs, proportionally represents party makeup of the HoC

• 2023- Home Affairs Select Committee chaired by Dame Diana Johnson

  • Focused on delays in asylum processing

  • Criticised govt targets as unrealistic

• 2022- Education Select Committee chaired by Robert Halfon

  • Reviewed pandemic recovery funding for schools

  • Criticised inequalities in support allocation

• Expert-driven and evidence-based analysis

  • Calls civil servants, ministers and external experts for detailed scrutiny

• Findings and recommendations not binding

  • Govt often ignores reports

  • Limited resources compared to depts they actually scrutinise

Backbench business committee

• Allocates time for backbench MPs to debate issues (including petitions) that are not part of govt business

• 8 members elected by MPs

• 2023- debate on Hillsborough disaster anniversary led by Ian Byrne

  • Ensured ongoing recognition and justice for families

• 2023- debate on pay for NHS workers

  • Highlighted pay concerns and impact of strikes on healthcare delivery

• Allows backbench MPs to raise important issues not otherwise addressed in Plmt

  • Encourages cross-party collaboration

• Debates and recommendations not binding

  • Limited time allocation restricts the number of debates

Liaison committee

• Brings together the chairs of all select committees (19) to question the PM and coordinate committee work

• Members are the chairs of all departmental and cross-departmental select committees

• 2021- questioning of Boris by Sir Bernard Jenkin

  • Focused on COVID-19 response and public confidence

    • (Watch BoJo squirm)

• 2023- Rishi

  • Questioned on migration policies and economic challenges

• Provides direct accountability of the PM in front of senior MPs

  • Encourages a strategic approach to scrutiny across committees

• Findings and recommendations not binding

  • Meets only 3-4x a year

    • BoJo planned foreign trips when they were scheduled

  • PMs can give vague answers and sidestep difficult questions