Current Inquiries
The Government's new approach to consultation
Inquiry launched 31 October 2012
The Committee took evidence on the Government’s “new approach to consultation” announced in July 2012 (
PDF 55 KB), which is intended to adopt a “more proportionate and targeted approach” to consultation. The Committee issued a call for evidence in preparation for taking oral evidence from the Government Minister responsible, Oliver Letwin MP on 11 December, the uncorrected transcript of which is below.
The Call for Evidence for the Committee’s inquiry into the Government’s policy on consultations has now closed. The Report can be found at the following location:
The Committee received 550 submissions, including 477 emails from individuals who made submissions for the inquiry following an online campaign by the Institute of Employment Rights. The members of the Committee were informed of this in a note. They are grateful to the many members of the public who took time to give an indication of their views, and regret that it is not possible to acknowledge each submission. The evidence and uncorrected oral transcript can be found in the following links:
Past Inquiries
Cumulative impact of statutory instruments on schools
Inquiry launched 16 December 2008
In the 2006-07 session DCSF made over 100 regulations that affected schools. Based on evidence from teachers, heads and governors the report recommends less legislation and proposes ways to manage it better.
The Management of Secondary Legislation
Inquiry launched 13 September 2005
The Management of Secondary Legislation report illustrates good and bad practice from Whitehall Departments in how regulations are explained, consulted on and costed. We followed this up two years later to see what progress Departments had made.
What happened next? A study of Post-Implementation Reviews of secondary legislation
Inquiry launched 24 June 2009
Government Departments should usually evaluate legislation within 3 to 5 years of it becoming law to see whether it is having the intended effect. This Inquiry found that only 46% had not done any sort of evaluation.