Second last stats update for the year – the number of bills that the PJCHR identified as raising concerns/requiring further information to determine compatibility in each of its reports. The numbers relate to bills which the committee commented on for the first time – so, new bills as well as bills which the PJCHR had deferred from a prior report.
(The chart doesn’t capture the number of bills which were subject to a further round of comments or the committee’s final views on a bill’s compatibility with human rights – for info on the latter, see here.)
- Of the 109 bills considered in its first five reports in the 44th Parliament, the PJCHR raised concerns in relation to 52 bills (or 47%).
- Of the 123 bills considered in its next five reports (up to Report 10/44th), 34 were identified as raising human rights concerns (or 27%).
- Of the 42 bills considered in its subsequent five reports (up to Report 15/44th), 8 were identified as raising concerns (or 19%).
- Overall, of the 17 scrutiny reports tabled to date in the 44th Parliament (Dec 2013-Dec 2014), the PJCHR identified concerns in relation to 98 (or 33%) of the 289 bills that it examined.
- In the 43rd Parliament, the PJCHR tabled 14 regular scrutiny reports between August 2012 and June 2013,[1] covering some 283 bills. Of these, 118 (or 41%) were identified as raising human rights concerns.
While the figures don’t provide the whole picture (because there are some 15 bills that the PJCHR has yet to consider), they suggest two trends that seem to be at odds with each other. On the one hand, the PJCHR is finding a lower proportion of bills raising human rights concerns in the 44th Parliament. Indeed, the proportion of bills raising concerns has fallen consistently over time. Which might suggest that the quality of bills coming into the Parliament is steadily improving.
On the other hand, where the committee did identify concerns, it then went on to make an unprecedented number of findings of incompatibility (see further here). So there are mixed messages in these statistics – fewer bills raising concerns, but of those that do, the PJCHR appears to be suggesting that those concerns are more serious than was the case previously. Although, as noted before, there may be other explanations in the mix …
[1] An additional four reports were tabled in the 43rd Parliament relating to ‘thematic’ inquiries into specific legislation.
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