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15 May, 4 tweets, 2 min read
🧵1/ Yet again the govt uses the urgency procedure in the Public Health Act 1984 to introduce regulations before they are scrutinised and approved by Parliament. This time the Step 3 Regulations for 'unlockdown' in England which come into force on Mon 17/5 #SIWatch ⬇️
2/ Given they've known for weeks what was coming in Step 3 why was the legal text not published earlier for approval by MPs? The devil is in the legal detail but ministers constantly try to blur the issue by conflating debate about general policy with scrutiny of legal text.
3/ The govt argues in the Explanatory Memo that MPs debated Step 3 on 25 March. But that was a debate on Regs to implement the start of the roadmap, renew the Coronavirus Act, & extend temporary Standing Orders for virtual participation in proceedings. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/585/…
4/ Last Sept @MattHancock promised wherever possible MPs would vote on ‘significant national measures’ before they come into force. But the govt has really made minimal effort to this end.

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More from @RuthFox01

Ruth Fox Profile picture
19 Dec 20
The deteriorating #Covid_19 situation raises important questions about the role of Parliament in the coming days. @HouseofCommons is adjourned until 5 Jan & it can only be recalled by the govt (my @HansardSociety blog explains why: hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/demands-t…) 🧵(1/12)
If the @HouseofCommons is recalled, due to #Covid or negotiations with the EU, there's no provision for virtual proceedings to apply to legislation. MPs can vote via proxy on SIs or a bill, but they can only participate in a debate on legislation if they are in the Chamber (2/12)
The only way currently for MPs to take part in a debate on Covid-SIs or a Bill enshrining a deal with the EU will be to travel to Westminster in Tier 4. Is this wise given the PMs statement about the severity of the situation and the announcements in Scotland & Wales? (3/12)
Read 13 tweets
Ruth Fox Profile picture
31 Jul 20
A Statutory Instrument subject to parliamentary procedure can’t be published until it has been laid before Parliament. If there are to be regulations rather than just guidance, then the minister can have signed them to bring them into force but .....(1/4)
..the rest of us won’t see them until they are laid before Parliament (ie delivered to the relevant office in each House this morning). I assume they will be like those for Leicester, Luton, Blackburn so made under powers in the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 (2/4)
They will be subject to the made affirmative scrutiny procedure and as such they will be a type of SI that can be laid before Parliament even tho both Houses are currently adjourned.(3/4)
Read 4 tweets
Ruth Fox Profile picture
2 Jun 20
Ministers have talked a lot during this crisis of deploying ‘world leading’ measures to tackle the pandemic. Ironically, the #virtualparliament is world leading and yet today they want to scrap it
Remote participation across a range of proceedings in the Chamber & Select Committees, plus remote voting, has been delivered at speed and scale. What staff at Westminster have delivered surpasses what many other legislatures have achieved so far in this crisis.
But the government’s plans now risk turning the House of Commons from a global parliamentary leader in to an international laughing stock.
Read 23 tweets
Ruth Fox Profile picture
28 Aug 19
Lots of discussion today about whether the length of #prorogation really matters given the upcoming party conference season. But conference recess hasn't been agreed. So we’ve crunched the numbers and yes, the length matters! (thread – 1/17!)
The government’s desire to bring this long session to an end and outline a new legislative programme in a Queen’s Speech could be met with a prorogation of one to two weeks. Anything longer than this is both unnecessary and beyond the norm. (2/17)
We do not yet know on which day between 9 and 12 September Parliament will be prorogued. The Order in Council states that it will be no earlier than Monday 9th September and no later than Thursday 12 September. (3/17)
Read 18 tweets

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