ABSTRACT
Government and criminal justice Parliament is the highest legislative authority in the United Kingdom and is the body responsible for the passage and repeal of law, including criminal law. In addition to making laws, Parliament controls fi nance (it approves proposals for taxation and expenditure) and is a forum for scrutinising government proposals and action. In addition to debates within the two main Houses of Parliament – the House of Commons and the House of Lords – discussion of proposals and activity in relation to crime and justice take place within the Home Affairs Select Committee. The Select Committee describes itself as being appointed by the House of Commons ‘with the task of examining the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Offi ce and its associated public bodies’. In addition to specifi c committees established to investigate activities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland there are a number of other parliamentary committees that are supposed to monitor government activities in the general area of criminal justice and penal policy. They include:
O Public Administration Select Committee – which in recent years has investigated and reported on matters including the reliability of crime statistics
O European Union Home Affairs Sub-Committee – covering European Union legislation and activity
O Intelligence and Security Committee .
