DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Selective influence: T he Policy I mpact of H ouse of C ommons Select C ommittees SELECTIVE M eg Russell and INFLUENCE THE POLICY IMPACT OF HOUSE OF COMMONS M eghan Benton SELECT COMMITTEES MEG RUSSELL AND MEGHAN BENTON The Constitution Unit The Constitution Unit Selective Influence: The Policy Impact of House of Commons Select Committees Meg Russell and Meghan Benton Constitution Unit June 2011 ISBN: 978-1-903903-61-2 Published by The Constitution Unit Department of Political Science UCL (University College London) 29-30 Tavistock Square London WC1H 9QU Tel: 020 7679 4977 Fax: 020 7679 4978 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/ © The Constitution Unit, UCL 2011 This report is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. First published June 2011 2 Contents Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................................6 Executive summary.........................................................................................................................................7 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................9 The House of Commons select committees.............................................................................................10 Our study........................................................................................................................................................13 Research methods.....................................................................................................................................13 The seven case study committees...........................................................................................................15 Basic information about committee inquiries...........................................................................................18 Reports produced .....................................................................................................................................18 Point in the policy process ......................................................................................................................21 Report recommendations........................................................................................................................23 Number of ‘true’ recommendations..................................................................................................24 Who are recommendations aimed at?...............................................................................................26 What do recommendations call for? .................................................................................................29 The ‘attrition rate’ of unclear recommendations.............................................................................32 How ‘measurable’ are committee recommendations? ....................................................................32 How substantive are committee recommendations? ......................................................................33 Divisions held by committees.................................................................................................................37 Newspaper coverage of the select committees ....................................................................................38 Key factors affecting committee influence................................................................................................40 The policy impact of committee recommendations: a quantitative analysis ........................................45 Do committee recommendations have impact?...................................................................................46 Acceptance by government of committee recommendations.......................................................46 Implementation by government of committee recommendations...............................................49 In what circumstances do committee recommendations have impact? ...........................................53 Point in the policy process..................................................................................................................55 Kind of action called for .....................................................................................................................56 Extent to which change reverses government policy .....................................................................57 Profile of policy area............................................................................................................................60 Media attention.....................................................................................................................................62 Main recommendation ........................................................................................................................62 Party affiliation of committee chair...................................................................................................63 Multivariate analysis.............................................................................................................................63 Conclusions based on quantitative analysis ..........................................................................................65 Shortcomings of the quantitative approach ..............................................................................................69 Non-inquiry work.................................................................................................................................69 Other impact of the inquiry................................................................................................................69 Misleading nature of tracing recommendations...............................................................................70 Who has influence?..............................................................................................................................71 The policy impact of select committees: a qualitative analysis ...............................................................73 Influential committee inquiries...............................................................................................................73 Key non-quantifiable forms of select committee influence ...............................................................79 Contribution to wider debate .............................................................................................................80 Drawing together evidence.................................................................................................................82 Spotlighting issues and changing priorities.......................................................................................83 Brokering...............................................................................................................................................84 Accountability.......................................................................................................................................85 Exposure................................................................................................................................................87 Generating fear (anticipated reactions).............................................................................................88 Conclusions based on qualitative analysis.............................................................................................89 Weaknesses of the select committee system .............................................................................................91 3 Short-termism and media focus..............................................................................................................91 Lack of preparation and poor questioning............................................................................................92 Lack of research base ...............................................................................................................................93 Government evidence and quality of responses ..................................................................................93 Report and recommendation drafting ...................................................................................................94 Poor follow-through, including in parliament......................................................................................94 Conclusions....................................................................................................................................................96 The policy impact of select committees................................................................................................96 The challenges of assessment..................................................................................................................97 The future ..................................................................................................................................................97