Representation and credentials

10.3The Statute of the Council of Europe provides that the Assembly shall consist of Representatives of each Member State elected by its Parliament from among its Members or appointed from among the Members of that Parliament in such manner as it shall decide.1 A Representative who is prevented from attending a sitting of the Assembly may be replaced by a Substitute of the same nationality. Thus for each Delegation there is an equal number of Representatives and Substitutes. In January 2018 the total number of members of the Assembly was 648, plus 12 observers and 15 representatives of Parliaments with Partner for Democracy status. In the absence of a Representative, a Substitute may sit, speak and vote in the Representative's place and enjoy the same rights in the Assembly. Substitutes may be full members of committees. The credentials of each Delegation are ratified by the Assembly following its appointment; thereafter, the credentials of Delegations are presented annually to the Assembly for ratification.

The composition of the United Kingdom Delegation, which contains Members of both Houses, broadly reflects the balance of parties in the House of Commons. The names of the Delegation are announced by the Prime Minister, normally in a written ministerial statement, after consultation with the political parties.2 This list of names is then transmitted by the Speaker to the Assembly.3 The composition of the Delegation is altered by the same means when necessary.4 It is usual for the party composition of the United Kingdom Delegation to be changed and a new Delegation Leader nominated on a change of Government.5

Following controversy over the omission of several long-serving Members from the Delegation, the House debated the procedure for appointing the UK delegation on 16 November 20156 and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee published reports on the issue in 2016.7 The procedure remained unchanged.

Footnotes

  1. 1. Subject to the right of each member government to make any additional appointments necessary when Parliament is not in session and has not laid down the procedures to be followed in that case, see article 25.
  2. 2. For example, HC Deb (2002–3) 396, c 24WS; ibid (2005–06) 436, c 2225W; ibid (10 November 2010) 518, c 18WS; ibid (3 November 2015) 601, c 23WS; ibid (14 November 2017) 631, c 8WS.
  3. 3. For example, HC Deb (3 November 2015) 601, cc 893–94; (4 November 2015) 601, c 994; (24 October 2016) 616, c 71.
  4. 4. For example, HC Deb (13 January 2016) 604, c 22WS.
  5. 5. For example, HC Deb (1979–80) 968, cc 381–82W; ibid (1997–98) 299, c 494W; ibid (10 November 2010) 518, c 18WS. Both Houses have adopted resolutions confirming the existing procedure for the nomination of the delegation, LJ (1992–93) 112; HL Deb (1992–93) 538, cc 288–90; CJ (1992–93) 54.
  6. 6. HC Deb (16 November 2015) 602, cc 408–27.
  7. 7. Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Second Report, Session 2015–16, Appointment of the UK's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, HC (2015–16) 658; and Ninth Report, Session 2015–16, Democracy Denied: Appointment of the UK's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2015–16, HC (2015–16) 962.