The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 4 Mar 2020 Closed: 9 Mar 2021 Parliament page
The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 is the law governing the dissolution of Parliament and the calling of UK general elections. The Government has said it intends to repeal the Act and the Opposition also set this commitment out in its manifesto – but no proposals for replacing it have yet … Read more
10 Recommendations
6 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
5 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
6 Jul
2021
Correspondence
9 Dec
2020
Report published
8 Dec
2020
Correspondence
10 Nov
2020
Correspondence
8 Oct
2020
Correspondence
15 Sep
2020
Report published
21 Jul
2020
Oral evidence
2 Jun
2020
Oral evidence
24 Apr
2020
Oral evidence
24 Apr
2020
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
21 Jul 2020
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The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
Chloe Smith MP · Cabinet Office Rt Hon Mark Harper MP · Department for Transport
2 Jun 2020
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The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
Professor Alison Young · University of Cambridge Professor Gavin Phillipson · University of Bristol Professor Petra Schleiter Professor Philip Cowley
24 Apr 2020
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Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011
Lord O’Donnell Sir Stephen Laws
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Sixth Report - The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 HC 167 15 Sep 2020 16 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
5 Recommendation Accepted
Sixth Report - The Fixed-term Parl…
The Committee welcomes the Government’s commitment not to rush through replacement legislation and to provide...
The Committee welcomes the Government’s commitment not to rush through replacement legislation and to provide adequate time for full scrutiny. We also appreciate the Minister’s commitment to forging cross-party support for whatever replaces the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. The first step, … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation, stating it has already tabled and passed a motion for a Joint Committee to review the FTPA and conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill, ensuring proper parliamentary consultation.
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6 Recommendation Accepted
Sixth Report - The Fixed-term Parl…
The Committee does not recommend a particular composition for the review committee beyond that set...
The Committee does not recommend a particular composition for the review committee beyond that set out in the Act. But the Committee believes that the review committee should be a Joint Select Committee, subject to parliamentary approval and not an … Read more
Government Response
The government has accepted the recommendation, having already tabled and agreed a motion in the House of Commons to establish a Joint Committee of both Houses to review the FTPA and scrutinise the draft Bill.
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9 Recommendation Accepted
Sixth Report - The Fixed-term Parl…
The two-thirds ‘super majority’ required to trigger an early election under the Act can, like...
The two-thirds ‘super majority’ required to trigger an early election under the Act can, like any statutory provision, be circumvented by passing an Act of Parliament to set an election date. As was made clear to the Committee the option … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that the two-thirds super majority is an undesirable feature of the FTPA that hindered elections. Its draft Bill repeals the FTPA and revives prerogative powers, thereby removing the super majority requirement as advised by the committee.
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Government Response AI assessment · 16 of 10 classified
Accepted 3
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 9
Total 10 recs + 6 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
6 Jul 2021 To committee Letter from Chloe Smith MP, Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution on Government’s Bill to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, dated 1.7.21
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8 Dec 2020 To committee Letter from Chloe Smith MP, Minister of State for Constitution and Devolution on Fixed-term Parliaments Act, dated 1.12.20
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10 Nov 2020 To committee letter from Chloe Smith MP and Lord True to Chair on the Government response to FtPA Report dated 02.11.20
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8 Oct 2020 To committee Letter from Chloe Smith MP, Minister of State on Common Frameworks, dated 6.10.20
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24 Apr 2020 To committee Letter from Chloe Smith MP, Minister of State on Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, dated 30.3.20
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