AWAY from the argy-bargy of the House of Commons Chamber, backbench MPs also have the responsibility of sitting on Select Committees.

Each Committee follows a particular Government Department to help scrutinise it, hold it to account, and carry out report and recommendations. 

I sit on the Public Administration Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC).

The committee is cross-party with six Conservative, four Labour and one SNP MP sitting.

The tradition is these Committees are less party political, and more collegiate – with MPs working together to ensure good governance.

This is certainly true of the Committee that I am sitting on at present.

As well as holding Government to account, we carry out enquiries and do reports. Once such report which we are presently involved in relates to international trade agreements and treaties.  

Because of our membership of the EU, we as a country have not been carrying out trade negotiations for nearly 40 years.

Now we have left we have carried over many treaties with a variety of countries that are in a very similar in form as they were with the EU, but as time passes we will enter into more complex and involved treaties – for example the Australian trade agreement which is presently going through parliament. 

Treaties are an extremely important part of our constitutional affairs as they will involve obligations, responsibilities and benefits for our nation.

Our committee has been looking at how treaties are negotiated and subsequently concluded, but very importantly, where the democratic responsibility lies.

Who should be in charge of writing and signing the treaties? Should it be the Government? Or Parliament as a whole? 

Our committee has been looking at what other countries do. One country of particular interest has been Norway, a country which is not actually in the EU but does have a close relationship with them.

Recently, Norway concluded a treaty with the United Kingdom and we are one of their closest trading partners and allies.

They have a similar system to us in that their Government determines the treaty – but they do require full parliamentary scrutiny. 

Our committee is therefore looking to suggest to the Government that parliamentary scrutiny should be enhanced – and that ultimately there should be the prospect of Parliament having a final say as to whether or not a treaty should be passed.

This might make treaties a little more difficult to negotiate, but it will make them more democratically accountable. 

Perhaps this seems a little boring and uninspiring – but the work of committees in carrying out these reports and enquiries is vital to ensuring that our parliamentary democracy remains vibrant and that any Government is properly held to account, as well as a good example of how parliamentary politics is about much more than party political shouting and braying in the House of Commons!