Partially agree. The Government agrees that a core function of Parliament is to hold the Government to account, including in relation to treaties. The Government recognises that departmental Select Committees have subject matter expertise that they may wish to apply to the assessment and scrutiny of treaties signed by their respective Government departments. However, the Government does not agree with the Committee’s recommendations that would require Parliament to approve treaties and notes that how Parliament chooses to hold Government to account and carry out its statutory responsibilities for treaty scrutiny are matters for Parliament. The Government welcomes any efforts to ensure the UK has an efficient, sustainable process of scrutiny to support transparency and accountability in its treaty making. It will continue to engage with any committee tasked with scrutinising treaties in a constructive way. The Government has welcomed the scrutiny efforts provided by the IAC in the House of Lords, which provides a valuable scanning function. It is a matter for the House of Commons whether to introduce a similar function. Government Response 13