This article argues that three types of factor – process, subject and political circumstance – are likely to affect the extent to which claims of evidence are made during legislative scrutiny. It draws upon case studies of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, the Academies Act 2010 and the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, utilising interviews with those involved and information from Hansard. The article concludes that these cases highlight that while there might be potential benefits from a yet more robust legislative scrutiny process, including greater use of pre-legislative scrutiny and the ability of public bill committees to take evidence from a wider range of witnesses and on all bills, subject and political factors would be likely to mean that the use of claims of evidence would continue to vary widely.
University of Lincoln, College of Social Science Research
Philip Begley, University of Liverpool, Department of Public Health
Catherine Bochel, University of Lincoln, School of Social and Political Sciences
Hugh Bochel, University of Lincoln, School of Social and Political Sciences
Andrew Defty, University of Lincoln, School of Social and Political Sciences
Jan Gordon, University of Lincoln, School of Social and Political Sciences
Kaisa Hinkkainen, University of Leeds, School of Politics and International Studies
Ben Kisby, University of Lincoln, School of Social and Political Sciences
Steve McKay, University of Lincoln, School of Social and Political Sciences