Committees carry out a vital check on the work of the Government and run inquiries into specific subjects. Their findings are publicly available and often require a response from the government. The government normally publishes its response within two months of the report being published, though if it has to reply to several reports on the same subject it may ask for a longer period. The results of a select committee’s inquiry are also reported to Parliament and to the House of Lords, which can consider them and make recommendations. The House of Lords can also set up a special committee to look at more specific issues outside the subject areas of the House’s regular committees, and these are known as Special Inquiry Committees.
On Monday, after a year and a half of hearings from more than 1,000 witnesses, the Jan 6 committee issued its final report. It criminally referred former President Trump to the Department of Justice for four suspected crimes, including obstructing an official proceeding, making false statements, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and aiding, inciting, or comforting an insurrection. The committee summary cites evidence of multiple obstructive activities, including lying about the election to encourage supporters to challenge the results, and his involvement in submitting fake slates of electors, which violated his constitutional obligation “to take Care that the Laws be Faithfully Executed.”