Role of committees uk and us Flashcards
Uk role of inquiries
Carried out by select committees and involves gathering evidence, interviewing experts and cross examining witnesses to present their finding to the HoC publicly.
Eg- the uk business select committee which held and enquiry into the near collapse of the royal bank of Scotland and HBOS which the Gov bailed out into why this eventually occurred.
US role of inquiries
US congressional select committees also carry out inquiries. The role in the us involves focusing on a particular area and having a wide range of powers to call witnesses and see papers.
Eg- US chat show comedian Stephen Colbert gave advice to a congressional committee on immigration after highlighting the issue on his tv show.
UK scrutinising government actions
Carried out by joint committees + involves lords and mp’s who meet and focus on 4 subject areas, science+tech, economic affairs, the uk constitution and work at the EU.
Eg- the joint select committee on human rights questioned the Secretary of State for defence on its inquiry into the UK gov’s policy on the use of drones for targeted killing.
US scrutinising Gov actions
US senate committees also scrutinise Gov actions- involved the executive Gov as all appointees have to be approved by a senate committee.
Eg- 20% of Supreme Court nominations have been rejected in the past.
UK scrutinising legislation
Carried out by general committees and involves considering proposed bills in detail and taking written and oral evidence from experts outside of parliament.
Eg- the UK Domestic Abuse Bill committee was recently scrutinising this bill during June 2020.
US scrutinising legislation
Congressional standing committees also scrutinise legislation and involves standing committees that are set up to scrutinise a bill that’s been introduced. They have a lot of legislative power as can “kill a bill” and stop it from continuing legislation.
Eg- the USA Foreign relations committee is currently scrutinising the “ensure Chinese debt transparency act” to ask China to be more transparent when loaning countries money.
