This House of Lords Library briefing provides information in support of the House of Lords second reading of the Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill (HL Bill 115 of 2016–17) on 6 April 2017.
Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill (152 KB , PDF)
The Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill is a House of Commons private member’s bill introduced by Wendy Morton (Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills) and sponsored in the House of Lords by Baroness Eaton (Conservative). The Bill has completed all stages in the House of Commons and is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 6 April 2017. The Bill is backed by the Government, who have drafted the Explanatory Notes which accompany it.
The Bill seeks to extend public access to certain local audit documents under section 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 established new arrangements for the audit and accountability of local public bodies (as listed in schedule 2 of the Act). At each audit of accounts held under the Act, section 26(1) allows “any persons interested” to inspect the accounting records for the financial year. The Bill seeks to amend section 26(1) to add “or any journalist”.
This briefing provides information on the background to the Bill and an overview of its purpose. It also provides a brief summary of its passage through the House of Commons.
Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill (152 KB , PDF)
UK prime ministers may draw up a resignation honours list on their departure from office, in which they may request that the reigning monarch grant honours to any number of people. Such honours may include peerages, knighthoods and damehoods, or other awards. However, not all have chosen to draw up such a list. This briefing lists those prime ministers who have requested that peerages be conferred on their departure from office.
The House of Lords Constitution Committee has re-examined relations between the UK government and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland following the introduction of new intergovernmental relations structures in January 2022 and its own earlier inquiry on the subject. In a report published in September 2024, the committee urged the government to add a new principle of positive engagement to the principles underpinning the new structures.
In November 2024, the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee published a report examining public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005. While recognising their positive impact, the committee criticised elements of the public inquiry system, such as governments failing to implement agreed inquiry recommendations. To address this, the committee proposed several reforms, including the formation of a parliamentary committee to oversee inquiries and ensure government accountability for implementing recommendations.
