Royal Commissions

Royal Commissions have historically played an important role in the development of the 'British Constitution' and other important policy areas. But we haven't seen one of these for a while. Yesterday in the House of Lords, Lord Falconer answered a question from Lord Faulkner of Worcester asking the Government "Whether they will establish a royal commission on the constitution". His answers to that and supplementary questions are worth reading in full (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/70605-0001.htm#07060544000004)

Particularly interesting was his comment - "I wonder whether royal commissions are the appropriate way to deal with constitutional change now and whether there are ways of communicating with the public in a much larger way. I wonder whether bringing together the great and the good and saying this is the way that constitutional reform should take place is the appropriate way to deal with it. I suspect that the day of the royal commission determining what constitutional reform should take place may be in the past."

What do you think?