This 2002 report lays bare the operation of one of the most distinctive, mysterious and critical features of the Westminster Parliament: the ‘usual channels’ - that is, the relationships between the government and opposition parties through which Parliament’s business is organised.

Although the initiative in arranging the parliamentary agenda at Westminster lies largely with the government of the day, in practice the government negotiates with the opposition parties - particularly the official Opposition - to arrange parliamentary business through what are euphemistically known as the ‘usual channels’.

The ‘usual channels’ operate differently in certain respects in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, but across both Houses few records are kept of what has been agreed, and the system operates entirely informally and privately.

The operation of the ‘usual channels’ in the Westminster Parliament contrasts with the practice in many other legislatures, including the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly, where parliamentary business is arranged through a Business Committee.

In 2010 the House of Commons backed the creation of a House Business Committee to take charge of business in the Lower House, but the 2010-2015 coalition government did not bring forward proposals to establish one. Accordingly, the ‘usual channels’ continue to operate in the Commons as well as the Lords, so the findings of this 2002 report remain current. Indeed, with renewed attention focusing on the control of business in the House of Commons as a result of the Brexit process, it is more valuable than ever to understand how the current process works.

The report explains what the ‘usual channels’ are, how they came into existence, how they work, and who the key figures are in the ‘usual channels’ system. The report also asks how effective the ‘usual channels’ are, and whether Parliament should have greater control over its own agenda.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • The Usual Channels
  • What are the Usual Channels?
  • Who are the Usual Channels?
  • What do the Usual Channels Do?
  • A History of the Usual Channels
  • A Week in the Life of the Usual Channels - the House of Commons
  • The Usual Channels in the House of Lords
  • Government Domination of Parliament
  • The Importance of Personality in the Usual Channels
  • Programme Motions
  • The Usual Channels Outside the Usual Channels
  • A Critique of the Usual Channels
  • A Westminster Business Committee?
  • Opening up the Usual Channels

Banner image: ‘John Bercow takes the Chair and expresses his thanks to the House of Commons’, by UK Parliament

Enjoy reading this? Please consider sharing it

Latest

Houses of Parliament at Dusk, Westminster
publications / briefings / 2020

What to look out for in Parliament in Autumn 2020

Politics in Autumn 2020 will continue to be dominated by Coronavirus and the negotiations with the EU, as the end of the post-Brexit transition period approaches on 31 December. But what will this mean for parliamentary business in the coming months, and what scope will there be to tackle other issues? We pick 15 things to look out for.

What to look out for in Parliament in Autumn 2020
Catherine McKinnell MP speaking in the House of Commons, UK Parliament
blog / 27.08.20

How is the Petitions Committee representing the public amid the procedural and practical restrictions of the Covid crisis?

Catherine McKinnell MP, Chair of the House of Commons Petitions Committee, sets out how the Covid-19 crisis has significantly increased the public’s use of e-petitions while limiting the House’s ability to debate them. This has prompted the Committee to innovate, to ensure that petitioners’ voices are heard during the crisis.

How is the Petitions Committee representing the public amid the procedural and practical restrictions of the Covid crisis?
Empty House of Commons chamber
blog / 18.08.20

Demands to recall the House of Commons over this summer’s exams fiasco reinforce the case for taking the process out of government hands

In a crisis the House of Commons is hamstrung if it is in recess, for MPs are not masters of their own House. While any MP can make representations to the government and the House of Commons Speaker to request a recall, under Standing Orders only a formal request from ministers to the Speaker can actually trigger one.

Demands to recall the House of Commons over this summer’s exams fiasco reinforce the case for taking the process out of government hands
Rehearsal for the return of the House of Commons and hybrid proceedings 20 April 2020 Credit: ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
publications / 2020

Parliaments and Coronavirus (collection)

The Coronavirus pandemic has presented parliaments with significant technical, procedural and political challenges, at Westminster and around the world. This page brings together our Covid-19 content, covering the UK Parliament’s adaptation to the crisis, UK Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments, and the responses of other legislatures around the world.

Parliaments and Coronavirus (collection)
Pound coins
publications / guides / 2020

Financial Scrutiny: the Estimates Cycle

In order to incur expenditure the government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its departmental spending plans. The annual Estimates process is the means by which the House of Commons controls the government’s plans for the spending of money raised through taxation.

Financial Scrutiny: the Estimates Cycle
Prev
Next