MPs set out recommendations on improving select committee scrutiny

MPs have made a series of recommendations for improving the work of parliamentary select committees as part of a report on boosting the Government's strategic decision-making.

In a report published Wednesday (29 May), the influential Liaison Committee - which comprises the chairs of select committees in the House of Commons - suggested that the role of select committees in incentivising ministers to focus on serious strategic issues is undermined by the election cycle.

It also heard from the Institute for Government, which told the committee that, with the electoral cycle in the minds of MPs, there was a strong incentive to inquire into specific issues, for example, the collapse of specific companies, rather than longer-term questions.

To tackle this, the Liaison Committee recommended that select committees engage in 'forward-looking accountability' rather than 'backward-looking accountability'.

"This means searching through the facts behind success as well as failure, to learn from what happened, and identifying who to hold to account in future for implementing the lessons learned from that experience," the report said.

It said that a select committee should ask the following questions at the outset of an inquiry: "How it wants to engage with the department and the rest of government; whether that is to collaborate on an issue to try to find a solution, or to keep them at arms-length during the process; how it sets its terms of reference, perhaps by asking what a good outcome in 10–20 years might look like to frame the inquiry in those terms; and whether it would be better to work jointly with another committee or committees, or to have a permanent or occasional guest member from another committee take part."

The committee also recommended that when select committees are scrutinising a published plan, roadmap, strategy or policy, they should assess whether it reflects comprehensive strategic thought.

To achieve this, the Liaison Committee recommended that select committees use a checklist that asks the following questions: "Whether the Government has provided a clear statement of what it intends to achieve, by when, how, and with what resources; how these elements are aligned with reality, and with the rest of Government; and how it will be adapted over time. If not, this would clarify the need for review."

The report added that to assist select committees in scrutinising government plans, Whitehall should share its strategies and implementation plans with them before publication and in confidence if possible.

In addition, the Liaison Committee recommended that the 'core tasks' for select committees be updated to include a specific reference to the scrutiny of strategic thinking.

It said: "Strategic thinking needs to be understood, appreciated and implemented by all departments, in order for select committees to be able to scrutinise it.

"It is therefore logical to recommend that it should be a core task of all select committees to play a part in scrutinising that work."

Finally, the report recommended that the next Parliament establish a new committee specifically aimed at scrutinising strategic thinking.

Commenting on the findings, the Chair of the Liaison Committee, Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, said: "Getting Parliament and Government to be more strategic than they have been over the past 20 or 30 years is vital to restoring public confidence in our entire democratic system, particularly among younger generations who will inherit the consequences of what governments do now.

"The next government should seize this offer from Parliament to support and scrutinise strategic thinking for the future."

Adam Carey