As the relationships between the four parts of the
United Kingdom face significant strain after Brexit, a reset in
intergovernmental relations is necessary.
The House of Lords Common Frameworks Scrutiny
Committee has today published its report, Common
frameworks: building a cooperative Union, emphasising that
such a reset should be based on the consensual approach taken in
common frameworks.
The report finds that common frameworks provide a
flexible mechanism for acknowledging the interdependence of
policy between the UK Government and devolved administrations,
while recognising the autonomy of each administration in its
areas of competence.
Despite their success, however, the report also
identifies several areas of concern, including the delays to the
common frameworks programme, the limited stakeholder engagement
or opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny, and the lack of
clarity on the relationship between the frameworks and the
Northern Ireland Protocol.
The UK Internal Market Act raises further concern, as
the market access principles in the Act could constrain the
ability of the devolved administrations to regulate effectively
in areas of devolved competence.
Recommendations in the report include:
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Common frameworks are innovative mechanisms for
developing UK-wide policy by collaboration and consensus
between the four administrations, taking account of the
interests of each part of the UK. They should be used as a
model to reset UK intergovernmental relations and build a
cooperative Union
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The UK Internal Market Act has strained relations
with the devolved administrations, particularly in Scotland
and Wales, and could severely compromise common frameworks
unless the UK Government exempts them in an appropriate
manner
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The Government should use common frameworks to
discuss changes introduced through the Northern Ireland
Protocol and minimise divergence between Northern Ireland and
Great Britain
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Parliamentary scrutiny of common frameworks will
need to continue even after they have been finalised. The
House of Lords could play a valuable role in providing a
neutral forum for the views of devolved legislatures and
facilitating closer interparliamentary
cooperation.
, Chair of
the Common Frameworks Scrutiny Committee,
said:
“Common frameworks are a crucial legacy of leaving
the EU that has too often been overlooked. They create the
processes necessary for day-to-day cooperation across the UK in
areas such as food safety, farming and the
environment.
“During the Committee’s inquiry, we found widespread
support for common frameworks across sectors and in every part of
the UK. However, the UK Internal Market Act has clearly damaged
relations with the devolved administrations and could severely
compromise the common frameworks programme. We also have concerns
about transparency and how the frameworks will relate to the
Northern Ireland Protocol.
“While the relationships between the UK Government
and devolved administrations are acknowledged to be severely
strained, we believe that the collaborative approach of common
frameworks should be used as a model to reset UK
intergovernmental relations and build a cooperative
Union.”
Note to editors
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The report will be available on the Committee’s
website shortly after
publication.
