News & Insights

This Week in Parliament

It’s been a quiet week in Parliament for consultation with most of the time being occupied with the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, which completed its process in the House on Wednesday 22nd and received Royal Assent on Thursday 23rd January. Although this bill did not directly involve consultation and public engagement (save for an exchange in the Lords, regarding the need for the government to consult with judges and judicial associations in determining which courts should be given permission to depart from previously decided EU case law), the return of powers from Brussels will trigger a wave of consultations across both the UK government and the devolved administrations on the subject of how these powers should be seated upon their return. Long the traditional butte of jokes about being a dead department to which naughty ministers were sent before they were merged into DEFRA, some of the most interesting returning powers will be in agriculture and fisheries, and ministers dealing with these matters across the top-tier administrations had better be on the ball as they disentangle the euro-web.

Outside of the B-word, much of the consultation related debate in the Commons has revolved around the Government’s proposed new fire safety regulations, prompted by the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. The consultation on the new regulations was promised in the Queen’s Speech last year, and with the subject matter arising in the Commons this week in two separate debates, we might be able to see the vague shape of what we should expect to see when the consultation arrives. In statements to the House the Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick MP announced the creation of a new building safety regulator within the Health and Safety executive, the reduction of building height where combustible materials are banned and additional investigations into safety in buildings below 18 metres in height. With the completion of the first consultation on sprinkler systems last year, the SoS also announced a second consultation addressing more specific proposals for the use of sprinkler systems. Curiously he appended this with a statement that he is minded to reduce the height of buildings where sprinkler systems are necessary from 18m to 11m. No doubt primarily a political statement designed to head off internal criticism, we can’t help but feel that he might wish to have a quick word with Michael Gove about statements in the house being advanced as evidence of pre-determination in court (see Petsafe). It would appear then that the above packet of consultations will form the backbone of the Government’s new policy.

With the Brexit Bill itself now over and done with, Parliament should now be able to head on to broader aspects of legislation, and I would expect an uptick in Parliamentary activity related to matter that may well come under consultation. This was the first part in what we hope will be a weekly series on Parliamentary events. If there is anything you would like to discuss further, please get in touch at stephenh@consultationinstitute.org.

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