European Union

Lord Boswell of Aynho Excerpts

Wednesday 16th May 2012 Lords Chamber

I hope for one last thing: namely, that we will not be told that the advantages of our EU committee, like our membership of the EU itself, are so obvious that there is no point in discussing them. I beg to move.

[Lord Boswell of Aynho]

My Lords, the House will have noted the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, on the importance of effective scrutiny, and his interesting and detailed suggestion on the configuration of committees. First, I briefly thank the House for entrusting me with responsibility for the European Union Select Committee; and, secondly, I acknowledge the fine example set by my predecessors, including my immediate predecessor, the noble Lord, Lord Roper. I have no conceptual problem with the need for efficiency and scrutiny, and I remind noble Lords that they will shortly receive the sessional report of the Select Committee and will have ample opportunity thereafter to consider it further.

[Lord Willoughby de Broke]

My Lords, I support the amendment of my noble friend Lord Pearson. It seems eminently sensible. I spent four years on the EU Select Committee. Any Members on the committee now will know exactly how much time is taken up by membership of that committee and of its various sub-committees—the amount of reading, work and supporting of the committee reports when they are debated in the House. However, like my noble friend, I remind the House that precisely one item only has ever been amended by the Commission following the issuing of a Select Committee report. I really wonder whether this is right and whether the committee should be required—it seems a harmless amendment, I must say—to report back to this House and to the nation on the effectiveness of its work and on the effect of its reports on the legislation coming out of Brussels. At the moment, the latest fact is that just one piece of legislation in the past 10 or 15 years has actually been affected by the vast number of reports issued by the EU Select Committee.

I am not sure whether the noble Lord, Lord Boswell, supported my noble friend’s amendment or not, but it seems to be very sensible. I hope that the House will support it.