Should Parliament have a role in scrutinising international treaties?
7 February 2022
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee begins its evidence sessions on how international treaties could be effectively scrutinised now that the UK has left the EU.
- Watch Parliament TV: The Scrutiny of International Treaties and other international agreements in the 21st century
- Inquiry: The Scrutiny of International Treaties and other international agreements in the 21st century
- Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Witnesses
Tuesday 8 February 2022
At 10.00am
- Jill Barrett, Former legal Counsellor at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Alexander Horne, Former Legal Adviser to the House of Lords European Union Committee and at International Agreements Committee, House of Lords
- Arabella Lang, Head of Research at Public Law Project and Former Clerk in Parliament and Treaties Hub, House of Commons Library
The Committee will question former Foreign Office, House of Lords and House of Commons officials with insight into treaties and their parliamentary scrutiny.
Parliament currently only has a limited role in the ratification of some treaties and no formal role in scrutinising the negotiation of treaties. The EU and UK scrutiny mechanisms for international treaties are no longer in place now the UK has left the EU, meaning Parliament may now have less access to information from the Government on international treaties than it had whilst the UK was in the EU.
The session will explore the expansion in the volume and scope of international treaties in the 21st century and consider whether, given the increased scope of international treaties and the corresponding increase in their impact on people’s lives, Parliament should have a role in the treaty-making process and how democratic accountability of international agreements can be increased.
Further information
Image: Parliamentary copyright