Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Select Committee

The Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee is a committee of UK parliamentarians. Members are drawn from the House of Lords. The committee has several primary functions.

Orders

The Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee is appointed by the House of Lords in each session with orders of reference "to report whether the provisions of any bill inappropriately delegate legislative power, or whether they subject the exercise of legislative power to an inappropriate level of parliamentary scrutiny; to report on documents and draft orders laid before Parliament under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001; and to perform, in respect of such documents and orders and subordinate provisions orders laid under that Act, the functions performed in respect of other instruments by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments."

Rationale

Parliament often and increasingly confers powers on the executive to make delegated (or secondary) legislation. The purpose of such legislation is often practical - to enable ministers to make provision at a level of detail inappropriate for inclusion in the Act, or designed to meet changing circumstances. But the powers delegated can also be more substantial - enabling ministers to fill in large gaps left by so-called 'skeleton bills', or to amend and even repeal primary legislation ('Henry VIII powers'). Such enabling clauses in bills remove legislation from detailed parliamentary scrutiny.

As a result, this Select Committee was set up.

Working practices

The committee receives all bills introduced in either House when they reach the Lords. There is no equivalent committee in the House of Commons. Bills are accompanied by a special memorandum explaining each of the proposed delegations. The memorandum, published with the Committee's report, identifies each of the delegations; describes their purpose; explains why the matter has been left to delegated legislation; and explains the degree of parliamentary control provided for each, and why it is thought appropriate. The committee also has the benefit of an opinion of its legal adviser. The committee then examines whether the bill or its parts are appropriate in terms of delegations. In some cases, parts of bills are declared inappropriate. More frequently, recommendations are made to increase the level of parliamentary scrutiny over a particular delegation.

Since the passage of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001, the remit of the committee, and its name, have been extended. It is now the select committee on delegated powers and regulatory reform. In the case of Regulatory Reform Orders they do not examine the policy proposed, but whether the statutory tests of the 2001 Act have been met, particularly whether the orders actually reduce regulatory burdens. They also consider whether the proposal is appropriate to be delivered by secondary legislation and at times conclude that this is not the case. Parliament's work in this area is set to expand greatly, with the passage of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006.

Members

As of 19 November 2016, the membership of the committee is as follows:^[1]

Member	Party
Baroness Fookes (Chairman)		Conservative
Baroness Drake		Labour
Lord Flight		Conservative
Baroness Gould of Potternewton		Labour
Lord Jones		Labour
Lord Lisvane		Crossbench
Lord Moynihan		Conservative
Lord Thomas of Gresford		Liberal Democrats
Lord Thurlow		Crossbench
Lord Tyler		Liberal Democrats

References

↑ "Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee - membership". UK Parliament. Retrieved 19 November 2016.

External links

House of Lords Select Committee on Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform - website
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Reports - reports

Departmental	Business, Innovation and Skills Communities and Local Government Culture, Media and Sport Defence Education Exiting the European Union International Trade Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Foreign Affairs Health Home Affairs International Development Justice Northern Ireland Affairs Political and Constitutional Reform Science and Technology Scottish Affairs Transport Treasury Welsh Affairs Work and Pensions

Topical	Arms Export Controls Environmental Audit European Scrutiny Petitions Public Accounts Public Administration Regulatory Reform Statutory Instruments Women and Equalities

General	Panel of Chairs Public bill committee Delegated Legislation Committee European Committees Northern Ireland Grand Committee Regional Affairs Committee Scottish Grand Committee Welsh Grand Committee English Grand Committee

Internal	Administration Finance and Services Backbench Business Liaison Members' Expenses Procedure Selection Standards and Privileges Works of Art

Lords

Topical	Communications Constitution Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Economic Affairs European Union International Relations Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Science and Technology

Private business	Hybrid Instruments Standing Orders Internal: House Liaison Committee Privileges and Conduct Procedure Selection

Domestic	Administration and Works Information Refreshment Works of Art

Joint

Select	Consolidation, &c., Bills Joint Committee on Draft Investigatory Powers Bill Joint Committee on Draft Protection of Charities Bill Human Rights National Security Strategy Joint Committee on Palace of Westminster Statutory Instruments

Statutory

Commons	House of Commons Commission Administration Estimate Audit Members Estimate Members Estimate Audit Public Accounts Commission Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Joint	Ecclesiastical Committee Intelligence and Security

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