Parliamentary Affairs (vol 73, issue 2, 2020)
Wed. 8 Apr 2020
Articles on themes including the mental wellbeing of politicians, the efficacy of the petitions system in the UK Parliament and devolved legislatures, the rate of equivocacy in former Prime Minister Theresa May's answers during PMQs, the emergence of international inter-parliamentary institutions, and more.
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Petitions Systems: Outcomes, ‘Success’ and ‘Failure’Catherine Bochel
Governing under Pressure? The Mental Wellbeing of Politicians (free)Matthew Flinders, Ashley Weinberg, James Weinberg, Marc Geddes, Richard Kwiatkowski
To Scrutinise and Protect: Question Time as a Window into Institutional and Electoral Incentives at Holyrood and WestminsterDavid C W Parker, Jessie E Munson, Caitlyn M Richter
How Citizens Judge Extreme Legislative Dissent: Experimental Evidence from Canada on Party SwitchingJohn R McAndrews, Feodor Snagovsky, Paul E J Thomas
Italy 2018: The Perfect Populist Storm?Gianfranco Baldini, Matteo Fabio Nels Giglioli
Who Gets What? The Interactive Effect of MPs’ Sex in Committee Assignments in Portugal (free)Ana Espírito-Santo, Edalina Rodrigues Sanches
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Blog / Back to the future? House of Commons scrutiny of EU affairs after Lord Frost's exit
The recent rearrangement of responsibilities for the government’s handling of EU-related affairs raises questions about future parliamentary scrutiny of these issues. In some respects pre-2016 institutional arrangements are restored, but the post-Brexit landscape presents new scrutiny challenges which thus far MPs have not confronted.
Guides / Financial Scrutiny: the Budget
In order to raise income, the government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its taxation plans. The Budget process is the means by which the House of Commons considers the government’s plans to impose 'charges on the people' and its assessment of the wider state of the economy.
Blog / Lord Frost appointment raises parliamentary scrutiny questions
Lord Frost's appointment as Minister of State in the Cabinet Office to lead on UK-EU relations brings some welcome clarity about future government arrangements in this area. However, it also raises challenges for parliamentary scrutiny, above all with respect to his status as a Member of the House of Lords.
Briefings / Who chooses the scrutineer? Why MPs should resist the government's attempt to determine the Liaison Committee chair
Should the Liaison Committee have as its chair someone who is not simultaneously a select committee chair, and should the identity of that person be determined by the government? The answer to these questions will tell us much about how this cohort of MPs, particularly government backbenchers, view the relationship between Parliament and the executive.
Blog / 2019 Mock Elections: Higher turnout and different outcome than the real general election
Schools making up an ‘electorate’ of over 46,000 young people returned their results to the Hansard Society's 2019 Mock Elections, which were held to coincide with the December general election and continued a series extending back over 50 years. Labour emerged as the clear 'winner' of the 2019 mock poll.
Blog / "... 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.
Blog / The DCMS Committee, Facebook and parliamentary powers and privilege
For its 'fake news' inquiry the House of Commons DCMS Committee has reportedly acquired papers related to a US court case involving Facebook. Andrew Kennon, former Commons Clerk of Committees, says the incident shows how the House's powers to obtain evidence do work, but that it might also weaken the case for Parliament's necessary powers in the long term.
Blog / Court injunctions and parliamentary privilege: is there a case for new restrictions?
Following the controversy surrounding the breaking of the Philip Green court injunction, has the time come for new restrictions on the use of parliamentary privilege, as previously suggested by a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament? Former Clerk of the Parliaments Sir David Beamish outlines the legal and procedural issues that inform the debate.
Events / 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?
Blog / Corbyn's 'Save Our Steel' e-petition shows why the rules governing the recall of Parliament need to change
In a time of crisis Parliament is hamstrung if it is in recess. MPs are not masters of their own House because, in accordance with House of Commons Standing Order 13, only government ministers - in reality the Prime Minister - can request a recall of Parliament.
Latest
Guides / Financial Scrutiny: the Budget
In order to raise income, the government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its taxation plans. The Budget process is the means by which the House of Commons considers the government’s plans to impose 'charges on the people' and its assessment of the wider state of the economy.
Guides / 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 cycle is the means by which the House of Commons controls the government’s plans for the spending of money raised through taxation.
Data / Coronavirus Statutory Instruments Dashboard
The national effort to tackle the Coronavirus health emergency has resulted in UK ministers being granted some of the broadest legislative powers ever seen in peacetime. This Dashboard highlights key facts and figures about the Statutory Instruments (SIs) being produced using these powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020 and other Acts of Parliament.
Briefings / The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill: four delegated powers that should be amended to improve future accountability to Parliament
The Bill seeks to crack down on ‘dirty money’ and corrupt elites in the UK and is being expedited through Parliament following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This briefing identifies four delegated powers in the Bill that should be amended to ensure future accountability to Parliament.
Articles / Brexit and Beyond: Delegated Legislation
The end of the transition period is likely to expose even more fully the scope of the policy-making that the government can carry out via Statutory Instruments, as it uses its new powers to develop post-Brexit law. However, there are few signs yet of a wish to reform delegated legislation scrutiny, on the part of government or the necessary coalition of MPs.