As part of the Hansard Society's 'A Year in the Life' study of newly-elected legislators, this 2013 paper by Dr Mary C. Murphy (University College Cork) presented findings from research into the experiences of Members of Ireland's Lower House (Dáil Éireann) after the 2011 election, when nearly half the Members (Teachtaí Dála, TDs) were new to the role.
'At Home in the New House' looked at the make-up of the new intake of TDs, their motivations for seeking election, their first impressions of the Dáil, the parliamentary and constituency aspects of their new role, their understanding of the legislative process, their relationship with the media, and the induction, orientation and long-term support available to them.
The report made a series of recommendations for supporting new TDs in future, to enable them to be effective public representatives. It emphasised the importance of mentoring, policy briefings and practical support to help new TDs get up and running.
These findings and recommendations were used by parliamentary staff to inform their approach to the provision of induction for the new intake of TDs following the 2016 election.
The report evidenced some striking similarities with the experiences of new MPs at Westminster, such as the ongoing need for help around aspects of procedure, the loneliness some experience in the role (despite their general love for it), and a conscious desire to avoid the national media.
A notable similarity with the experience of new Assembly Members in Wales was that many new TDs similarly found themselves sitting on two or three committees, with all the attendant consequences for their time and workloads.
The study was launched at the Dáil in 2013, with the Speaker (Ceann Comhairle), Sean Barrett, and Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe both speaking at the event.
The Rwanda Bill has made it over the parliamentary finishing line but not without some last-minute drama. We talk to the SNP’s Alison Thewliss MP about what went on in a small room, behind the Speaker’s Chair, away from the cameras!
To mark the Hansard Society’s 80th anniversary we are launching the Churchill-Attlee Democracy Lecture in honour of our first members, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The inaugural lecture will be given by former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Theresa May MP. This is a fundraising event for our 80th Anniversary Appeal. Date & location: Tuesday 14 May 2024, 7:00-8:15pm, Westminster (venue to be announced) Tickets: £25
With a general election on the horizon there has been a spate of new legislation and regulations to implement changes to the way the election will be run, with consequences for voters and electoral administrators. Parliament has not always had a role in approving these changes. This briefing sets out the core changes to the electoral process that have been implemented since the last general election in 2019, the role that Parliament has played in scrutinising and approving them, and the risks arising from these changes.
The Climate Change Act 2008 established a framework for setting carbon budgets every five years. But the role of Parliament in approving these budgets has been widely criticised, including by the Prime Minister. The Environmental Audit Committee has proposed improvements in the scrutiny process to ensure effective climate action, particularly in the context of the UK’s commitment to achieving 'Net Zero' emissions by 2050. These reforms will significantly alter the way Parliament handles the Seventh Carbon Budget in 2025.
The Government’s flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2009. The genesis of the delegated powers in the Bill – dating back a decade - tells an important story about the way in which incomplete policy-making processes are used by Ministers to seek ‘holding’ powers in a Bill, only for that precedent to then be used to justify further, broader powers in subsequent Bills. This ‘creeping’ effect in the legislative process undermines parliamentary scrutiny of ministerial action.
