The Call for Evidence was sent to a small, targeted number of individuals and institutions

The Constitution Committee have been appointed "to examine the constitutional implications of all public bills coming before the House; and to keep under review the operation of the constitution".

The Committee have decided to conduct a short inquiry into the proposed constitutional Treaty drawn up by the Convention on the Future of Europe.

The Committee will be pleased to receive written submissions which address the following questions:

1.  To what extent will the proposed European Constitution, if implemented, affect the constitution of the United Kingdom;

2.  Which of the articles in the draft Treaty have particularly significant constitutional implications for the United Kingdom;

3.  What would the constitutional effect of the implementation of those articles be; and

4.  What work has been done to evaluate the effect of any constitutional changes.

It is envisaged that this inquiry will be conducted largely on paper, and it is unlikely that those who submit written evidence will be called to present oral evidence.

The proposed Treaty has already been the subject of a number of reports by the European Union Committee of the House of Lords. The Constitution Committee does not intend to duplicate their work, nor to take evidence on the merits of articles in the draft Treaty except insofar as they raise issues of principle affecting a principal part of the constitution of the United Kingdom.