What we've achieved in the last year

We're celebrating Human Rights day by looking back at our work in the past year.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights is comprised of six MPs and six members of the House of Lords.

Our role is to consider human rights in the United Kingdom, and to report on remedial orders.

Our Committee is briefed on the human rights implications of every Government Bill and on private members bills, and reports or publishes correspondence on the bills it considers raise particular issues.

We have themed our work around rights in the European Convention of Human Rights, but it also takes account of other international human rights treaties which the UK has signed.

We've published 15 reports resulting from thematic inquiries on freedom of speech in universities, enforcing rights, the Windrush generation, and the detention of people lacking mental capacity.

We've scrutinised 4 remedial orders, published 5 legislative scrutiny reports, and held the Government to account through letters and 27 oral evidence sessions.

In our evidence sessions we've heard from 89 witnesses including children who had been detained, immigration detainees, parents, lawyers, academics, NGOs and ministers.

We've also sought answers from Ministers about human rights issues including the use of “child spies” and the treatment of people with learning disabilities and autism.

• We have underlined the crucial need for adequate legal aid funding to ensure human rights can be enforced in the UK.

• Emphasised the importance of judicial independence.

• Produced action to protect freedom of speech in universities, including revised Charity Commission guidance.

• Successfully urged the Government to introduce legislation to reform the system for protecting people who lack mental capacity from unlawful detention.
• Helped secure justice for the Windrush generation.

• And successfully urged the Government to ensure its reforms to surrogacy law were truly non-discriminatory.

This includes:

• The use of solitary confinement and restraint on children and young people in custody.

• Immigration detention.

• The Right to Privacy and the Data Revolution.

If you're interested in the work of our committee, find out more about our inquiries or follow us on Twitter.