Post-legislative scrutiny in the UK Parliament: adding value

Norton, Philip

Abstract

Legislatures appoint committees for different purposes. Both Houses of the UK Parliament separate legislative committees from non-legislative, or select, committees. Each is unusual in that it utilises select committees to engage in post-legislative scrutiny. We examine why each engages in this type of scrutiny, given competing demands for limited resources. Distributive and informational theories are utilised to explain the difference between the two chambers, identifying why the form of asymmetrical bicameralism to be found in the United Kingdom facilitates scrutiny that would otherwise not be undertaken. The genesis and impact of post-legislative scrutiny committees are considered, with a focus on the House of Lords and why the use of such committees plays to the strengths of the House.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Journal: The Journal of Legislative Studies
• Print ISSN: 1357-2334
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-9337
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-18
• APA6 Citation: Norton, P. (in press). Post-legislative scrutiny in the UK Parliament: adding value. Journal of Legislative Studies, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2019.1633778
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2019.1633778
• Keywords: UK Parliament; House of Lords; House of Commons; Pre-legislative scrutiny; Post-legislative scrutiny; Select committees; Legislative process
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13572334.2019.1633778
• Additional Information: This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Journal of legislative studies, 2019. The version of record is available at the DOI link in this record.