What are Departmental Select Committees?

How effectively do they perform their role of scrutinising the Executive? (10 marks)

What are Departmental Select Committees?

Do not confuse them with non-departmental Select Committees eg: the Public Accounts Committee or with Legislative/general Committees (formerly known as standing committees) which scrutinise/make amendments to Govt. legislation

• There are 19 Departmental Select Committees each one being concerned with a specific area of Govt. responsibility eg: Business innovation and skills; Children Schools and Families; Defence; Culture Media and Arts; Energy and Climate Change; Health; Transport etc
• They were introduced in 1979 in an attempt by Parliament to reassert control over the Executive
• They examine the expenditure administration and policy of the individual Govt. departments and then they report back to the House of Commons
• They deliberate in public and can provide expert knowledge on a particular subject
• Most meet once a week for approx. 2 hours
• DSCs usually have between 11 – 14 members and they are elected by all of the members of the House of Commons (unlike legislative Committees – no Govt. ministers/front bench opposition members are allowed and whips do not attend)
• The Chair of the DSC is usually someone with great influence – he/she receives a salary for this role
• The Govt. party has a majority on DSCs (membership = same proportion as seats in HoC) – BUT members are expected to behave in an non-partisan/neutral fashion
• Reports of the DSCs are, if possible, supported unanimously and carry great weight – there is often great publicity e.g.: recent report of the Public Accounts Committee on the government’s handling of the ‘bonfire of the quangos’
• DSCs have considerable powers – they can call for ministers, civil servants and external witnesses/official papers in their investigations

Their role is to:

• Investigate the work of govt. departments to determine whether they have acted efficiently/effectively
• Consider major departmental policies and determine whether they are well considered and have taken account of public opinion
• Consider proposed legislation – not with a view to blocking it, but to consider whether it is likely to be effective
• Consider matters of major public concern that fall within the remit of the Committee
• Investigate any serious errors or omissions made by the department
• Occasionally, to propose future legislation
• The DSCs have an adversarial style and can be quite aggressive – ‘witnesses; have no notification of the questions they will be asked
• DSCs have a small number of support staff assigned to them to undertake research/admin (DSCs do NOT exist in the HofL)

How effectively do they perform their role?

• They are probably the most effective way of calling the Govt. to account
• Can call expert witnesses/ministers etc
• They deliberate in public – transparent scrutiny
• Now that selection of membership = by ballot (since March 2010) – there is less opportunity for Whips to have influence = the DSCs are therefore more independent
• They do speak up against the Govt. eg: the Health Select Committee recently criticised the Govt.s proposals for NHS reform
• They aim to work together and to produce reports that are unanimous
• The Liaison Committee (made up of heads of all DSCs) can question the PM twice a year

HOWEVER

• They lack any real power and vary in quality – have been called the dog that never bites
• The convention of Collective Responsibility means it is difficult to really examine how policy decisions were made initially
• They can call ministers to give evidence – but cannot force them to do so
• They cannot discuss current legislation
• Civil Servants can withhold information if it is not ‘in the interests of national security’ to release it
• It is quite common for ministers to ignore Select Committee reports
• It would be better if their powers were strengthened eg: give them quasi-judicial powers to demand to see papers, and enforce witnesses to swear an oath of truth – also give them more time and better resources