House of Lords Committees

 

Much (welcome) emphasis is given in the press to the activities of the committees in the House of Commons. There are "Public Bill Committees", which go through and amend bills as part of the legislative process. The Public Accounts Committee has a special role in overseeing the use of public money, and there is a system of Departmental Select Committees.

Committees in the House of Lords are often overlooked - but are great significance. The European Committees have an important role in the scrutiny of EU policy and legislation. The Lords is very good at overseeing secondary legislation from the British Government.

The House of Lords Library has recently produced a research note on current and former committees. It is available here. In my view it is both an interesting read and a useful work of reference.

The European Parliament

Like the US Congress, but unlike the British Parliament - the European Parliament does its most important legislative work in committees. When a proposal is made it is allocated to the relevant committee - who then appoint a member as the rapporteur. Their job is to consult with other members; EU Institutions; and others in order to prepare a report which the committee can adopt. The Plenary sessions then debate and vote on the committeee's report.

The list of committees - with links to details of their work and documents - can be found here.

In my view the best guide to the European Parliament is by Richard Corbett, Francis Jacobs & Michael Shackleton. Further details can be found here. Much information is also available on the European Parliament's own website