Select Committee Reform: Shifting the Balance and Pushing the Boundaries

Abstract

The departmental select committee system, established in 1979, is seen as increasingly powerful, with committees producing more work, engaging with more people, and doing more to scrutinise the actions of those with power than ever before. There have been two main periods of select committee reform over the past 40 years: the first following the 2001 general election, and the second in the run-up to the 2010 general election. More recently, select committees, strengthened by the election of their chairs and members, have pushed at the boundaries of their powers and remit. This article sets out the story of reform.