Gordon Brown has proposed that the Prime Minister and the executive should surrender or limit the following powers:
- Power of executive to declare war.
- Power to request dissolution of parliament.
- Power over recall of parliament.
- Power of executive to ratify international treaties without decision by parliament.
- Power to make key public appointments without effective scrutiny.
- Power to restrict parliamentary oversight of intelligence services.
- Power to choose bishops.
- Power in appointment of judges.
- Power to direct prosecutors in individual criminal cases;
- Power over civil service.
- Executive powers to determine rules governing entitlement to passports.
- Granting of pardons.
Other recommendations:
- Parliament will have right to ratify new international treaties.
- House of Commons will have a bigger role in selection of key public officials.
- Pre-commencement hearings will be extended to utility and other regulators.
- Arrangements for making appointments to NHS boards will be reviewed.
- House of Commons will vote on the appointment of chair of new Independent Statistics Board.
- Government will regularly publish national security strategy for parliamentary debate and public scrutiny.
- National security council will be set up.
- How and whether Intelligence and Security committee can be appointed and report to parliament will be considered.
- Role of Attorney General will change: except if law or national security requires it, Attorney General has decided not to make key prosecution decisions in individual criminal cases.
- Government will bring forward legislation to protect neutrality of civil service.
- Advance-sight government departments have of release of statistical information will be reduced from five days to 24 hours.
- A new ministerial code providing for a new independent adviser to supervise disclosure and who will be asked to scrutinise ministerial conduct including conflicts of interest.
- Summer statement prior to Queen's Speech on provisional forward legislative programme.
- Annual departmental reports debated in parliament.
- Imminent statement on House of Lords reform, including removal of hereditary peers.
- Statement on reform of local government proposing new concordat between local and central government.
- Review of voting systems.
- House of Commons will discuss and vote upon legislation that flows from EU amending treaty.
- Independent oversight of authorities and accountability to parliament.
- Weekend voting will be considered.
- Period of time during which parties can use all-women short lists for candidate selections; more time for parties to take up this new right if they choose.
- Change laws that now restrict right to demonstrate in Parliament Square.
- Right of British people to intervene with their elected local representatives to ensure action - through a new community right to call for action and new duties on public bodies to involve local people.
- New rights for British people to be consulted through mechanisms such as citizens juries on major decisions affecting their lives.
- Public debate on Bill of Rights and Duties, or for moving towards written constitution.
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