The House of Lords Liaison Committee has recommended setting up a new committee on the environment and climate change, to start work in April. It says “The current absence of a House of Lords committee on the environment and climate change is a striking example of a current scrutiny gap. The path to net zero, the use and deployment of technologies, the roles of public and private stakeholders in mitigation and behaviour change, international co-operation and developments are amongst the issues calling for detailed investigation. “

The recommendation came as part of a fundamental restructuring of House of Lords committees, which had been set up piecemeal over five decades. A 2019 report said that Lords  committees should take a thematic approach designed to ensure more effective scrutiny of all the major areas of public policy. That would minimise the potential for scrutiny gaps while complementing the work of House of Commons departmental select committees.

The report said of the new Environment and Climate Change committee that “the case for the establishment of a sessional committee to scrutinise these matters is compelling. In keeping with the broad remits of thematic House of Lords committees, and conscious that the current remit of the EU Environment Sub-Committee is not limited to climate change, we consider that this committee should undertake scrutiny of the environment and climate change. This remit includes biodiversity. “

Other new thematic committees will cover the built environment and industry and regulators (see chart below).

The Liaison Committee advises the House on the resources required for select committee work and allocates resources between select committees; reviews the select committeework of the House; considers requests for ad hoc committees and reports to the House with recommendations; ensures effective co-ordination between the two Houses; and considers the availability of Lords to serve on committees.

See the report here and the new committee structure below