The House of Lords EU Select Committee
has today written to Brexit
Secretary Dominic Raab urging him not to stand in
the way of Parliamentary scrutiny, and to honour his
previous commitment to give evidence to Committees “on a regular
basis”.
The Committee was told on Tuesday 23 October that the
Secretary of State for Exiting the EU will be unable to
attend or give evidence to the Committee until after a deal with
the EU has been finalised. The Committee describes this as
“unacceptable…[it] inhibits the Committee in fulfilling its
obligations in scrutinising Brexit”.
Chair of the House of Lords EU Select Committee,
of Aynho, said:
“Select Committees have a job to do. Lack of engagement from the
Government, keeping us in the dark, means we can’t do that job.
Brexit was supposed to be about enhancing the role of Parliament,
not diminishing it – but that message doesn’t seem to have got
through to Ministers.”
The Committee’s letter also
calls on the Government to ensure that enough time is
allowed between an agreement being reached, and any ‘Meaningful
vote’, so that committees can make recommendations to the two
Houses. Recent media reports suggest that the time allowed for
committees to report on the agreement and the ‘political
declaration’ on future UK-EU relations could be a little as ten
days.
Effective Parliamentary scrutiny is only
possible if committees have access to the documentation. The
House of Lords EU Select Committee is also requesting that the
Government share with it the latest draft text of the agreement -
of which 95 per cent has reportedly been agreed.
Notes to editors
-
Read the letter to Secretary of State
for Exiting the EU Dominic Raab in full here.
