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    Get updates on Brexit Statutory Instruments, procedure and the legislative process at Westminster, delivered to your inbox each week

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    Blog

     Select committee panel (blurred)
    blog / journal / 08.11.19

    Select Committee development and reform: turning points over 40 years

    Select committee reform over the last 40 years has been a stop-go process. Here, the Clerk of the Liaison Committee during its recent 40th anniversary inquiry traces the phases in the story and identifies the set of factors that seem to work for or against reform each time.

    Select Committee development and reform: turning points over 40 years
    Foreign Affairs select committee holds session
    blog / journal / 08.11.19

    Select Committees 40 years on: wider still and wider may their bounds be set?

    A former Clerk of several House of Commons select committees looks back over 30 years at how the tempo of their work has changed, and asks whether the increase in their resources and activities can or should continue indefinitely.

    Select Committees 40 years on: wider still and wider may their bounds be set?
    Prorogation on a screen in Parliament, Westminster
    blog / 07.10.19

    Scrutiny of Statutory Instruments in the spotlight following Supreme Court judgement

    The Supreme Court’s judgement that the government’s prorogation of Parliament was unlawful was due in part to concern that the legislature’s ability to scrutinise Statutory Instruments would be compromised. But as ‘exit day’ nears, and with a new, shorter prorogation planned, the inadequacies of the parliamentary scrutiny process for SIs become ever starker.

    Scrutiny of Statutory Instruments in the spotlight following Supreme Court judgement
    Cap doffing in the House of Lords, UK Parliament, during prorogation
    blog / 07.10.19

    "… as if the Commissioners had walked into Parliament with a blank sheet of paper": Parliament’s procedural handling of the Supreme Court’s nullification of prorogation

    The Supreme Court’s 24 September nullification of the prorogation that had at that point been underway presented Parliament with a procedural and record-keeping problem. Here, the Clerks of the Journals in the two Houses explain how it was resolved.

    "… as if the Commissioners had walked into Parliament with a blank sheet of paper": Parliament’s procedural handling of the Supreme Court’s nullification of prorogation
    Theresa May, Liaison Committee session, House of Commons
    blog / journal / 23.09.19

    The 2019 Liaison Committee report on the Commons select committee system: broadening the church, integrating with the Chamber

    In its recent landmark report, the House of Commons Liaison Committee recommended a widening of the circle of those that select committees should hold to account, and a turn towards the public in all committee activity, but also tighter links between select committees and the House of Commons Chamber.

    The 2019 Liaison Committee report on the Commons select committee system: broadening the church, integrating with the Chamber
    blog / 18.09.19

    The Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019: What next?

    The House of Commons’ last business before it was controversially prorogued on 9 September was the announcement of Royal Assent to the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019. Just as the UK’s parliamentary democracy was being questioned, a significant step forward was taken to safeguard the building that both houses and symbolises it.

    The Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019: What next?
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    Publications

    The Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament, October 2019 (UK Parliament / CC BY-NC 2.0)
    publications / guides / 2019

    Back to Business: procedure at the start of a new Parliament (special collection)

    At the start of a new Parliament a series of ceremonies and procedures must take place before the Members of the two Houses can get down to business. Our special collection of procedural guides takes you through them. We start with some things to look out for at the highly unusul start of the 2019 Parliament on 17 December.

    Back to Business: procedure at the start of a new Parliament (special collection)
    A House of Commons Clerk holds out the Affirmation for a newly elected Member of Parliament to read (2010), © UK Parliament/Catherine Bebbington (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
    publications / guides / 2019

    Lifecycle of a Parliament

    A set of laws, conventions and Standing Orders govern how and when a Parliament starts and ends, how it is divided into sessions and sitting periods, and what ceremonies and procedures take place at different points. This guide takes you through them.

    Lifecycle of a Parliament
    The Royal Procession during the State Opening of Parliament, October 2019 (UK Parliament / CC BY-NC 2.0)
    publications / guides / 2019

    Queen’s Speech and State Opening of Parliament

    State Opening, with the Queen’s Speech at its centre, is the key ceremonial and constitutional event at the start of a new session of Parliament.

    Queen’s Speech and State Opening of Parliament
    Saturday sitting in the House of Commons to debate the renegotiated Brexit deal (19 Oct. 2019), © UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Stephen Pike (CC BY-NC 2.0).
    publications / guides / 2019

    Leadership and Governance

    A number of different individuals and bodies provide leadership in each House. They have important powers and responsibilities, ranging from the administration of each House to stewardship of parliamentary business and procedures. This guide takes you through them.

    Leadership and Governance
    Former Foreign Secretary Lord Hague, his former Special Advisor Baroness Helic and UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie give evidence to a House of Lords select committee, © UK House of Lords/Helen Jones (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
    publications / guides / 2019

    Select Committees

    Select committees are one of the key ways the two Houses of Parliament hold the government to account. They are also important bodies for Parliament’s engagement with the public.

    Select Committees
    House of Commons debate, © UK Parliament/Jess Taylor (CC BY-NC 2.0)
    publications / guides / 2019

    Private Members’ Bills

    Private Members’ Bills are bills introduced by MPs and Peers who are not government ministers. They provide backbenchers with an opportunity to address public concerns and to set a policy agenda that is not determined by the executive. But the procedures, often a source of controversy, are different to those that apply for government bills.

    Private Members’ Bills
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    Events

    Britain Votes 2017 cover image
    events / 20.03.18

    Launch of ‘Britain Votes 2017’

    On 20 March, Professor Sir John Curtice and a panel of leading commentators outlined their findings at the launch of the first major study of the 2017 general election, ‘Britain Votes 2017’.

    Launch of ‘Britain Votes 2017’
    A crowd of people in Ethiopia with their hands up
    events / 29.11.17

    Deepening democracy: reconciling parliaments and people through public engagement

    Join us for the launch of our new Global Research Network on Parliaments and People, with a keynote speech on ‘Deepening Democracy’ by Baroness Amos.

    Deepening democracy: reconciling parliaments and people through public engagement
    The Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon. John Bercow MP, giving his 2017 speech, 'Opening up the Usual Channels: next steps for reform of the House of Commons'
    events / 11.10.17

    Opening up the Usual Channels: next steps for reform of the House of Commons

    In a speech to the Hansard Society on 11 October, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP proposed three key reforms for the House: the establishment of the House Business Committee approved in 2010; reform of Private Members’ Bills; and the creation of a mechanism for Members to request a recall of the House.

    Opening up the Usual Channels: next steps for reform of the House of Commons
    EU flag missing a star, symbolising Brexit
    events / 12.09.17

    The EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Principles, Powers and Parliaments

    On 12 September, the day after the EU (Withdrawal) Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons, this major one-day public event brought together leading parliamentarians and legal and constitutional specialists from across the UK to discuss the critical issues raised by the Bill and its prospects in the UK’s parliaments and assemblies.

    The EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Principles, Powers and Parliaments
    People on Westminster Bridge
    events / 26.04.17

    Launch of the Audit of Political Engagement 14: the 2017 report

    Join the authors of the 2017 Audit of Political Engagement as they present their findings alongside a panel of leading commentators, and explore how one of the most consequential acts of democratic decision-making ever seen in this country has shaped levels of political engagement across the UK.

    Launch of the Audit of Political Engagement 14: the 2017 report
    An architectural blueprint showing six abstract geometric shapes
    events / 14.11.16

    Future Parliament: Hacking the Legislative Process // Capacity, Scrutiny, Engagement

    From finance to healthcare, technology has transformed the way we live, work and play, with innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. Can it also have a role in how we make our laws?

    Future Parliament: Hacking the Legislative Process // Capacity, Scrutiny, Engagement
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