(315)  SUPREME COURT: WESTMINSTER SELECT COMMITTEE CRITICAL

The Government got out its statement about the Supreme Court (see No 314 below) just in time to beat the publication of the report on the subject by the Commons Select Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which appeared on 10 February 2004.  As already noted, the Committee took a good deal of evidence before reaching its conclusions (rather unlike either the Scottish Executive or the Scottish Parliament).  The Committee is generally critical of the way in which the Government developed and published its proposals on this and related subjects such as the abolition of the Lord Chancellor and the creation of judicial appointments commissions.  It makes the point that the separation of powers” argument cannot be a decisive one