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Correspondence with Implications for Particular Policy Areas

For some policy areas, there are slightly varied processes for using correspondence to obtain clearance. Some examples are listed below; the relevant Committee secretaries will be able to advise further.

European Issues

NSID(EU) correspondence is largely similar to other Cabinet Committee correspondence and most of the same rules apply. However, the main differences are:

• The Foreign Office (and not the European and Global Issues Secretariat), advises the Chair and drafts the clearance letter.
• The clearance letter does not wait for the ring round to be completed. The Chair of NSID(EU) will issue the clearance letter once the 10 day period has expired.
• The clearance letter does not require all departments’ concerns to have been addressed. It will reiterate these concerns in the letter without proposing a resolution.
• The copy list should include Mr Jon Cunliffe and Mr Kim Darroch (UKRep) as well as the members of NSID(EU) and Sir Gus O’Donnell.

Legislative Issues

If both policy and legislative clearance is sought, the letter should be copied to the Legislation Committee (L) as well as to the relevant policy Committee. Where the proposal has implications for the drafting of legislation, it should also be copied to First Parliamentary Counsel.

The two Committees will usually issue two separate clearance letters and clearance is not obtained until both letters have been issued.

For more information on clearing correspondence through L, please go to the Guide to Legislative Procedures.

Regulatory Issues

If both policy and regulatory clearance is sought, the letter should be addressed to the Panel on Regulatory Accountability (ED(PRA)) as well as copied to the relevant policy Committee. For details on when ED(PRA) clearance is required and when ED(PRA) correspondence should be used please see the section on Regulatory Proposals.

Two separate ring rounds must be carried out, one for the members of the policy Committee and one for members of ED(PRA). Policy clearance cannot be given until ED(PRA) members have cleared the regulatory aspects of the proposals. One clearance letter, confirming both ED(PRA) and policy clearance, is usually issued by the Chair of the policy Committee once all parties are content.