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The motion is yet to be scheduled for a specific date, leaving the start of the Speaker’s Conference unclear However, it is not confined to this session; it will have effect until the end of the current Parliament The Conference will be chaired by the Speaker and include up to 14 MPs, appointed by the Speaker, making it larger than departmental select committees (which typically have 11 members) This larger size may allow for representation across smaller parties in the House
Like a select committee, the Conference will have the authority to “send for persons, papers, and records” and to appoint legal and other specialist advisersCurrently, there is a counterintuitive discrepancy in how gifts and hospitality are declared: backbench MPs and Shadow Ministers face stricter rules than sitting Ministers MPs must declare any gifts or hospitality worth over £300 (if it could reasonably be seen as related to their parliamentary or political activities) within 28 days, including details like the donor’s name, status, and the estimated value of the gift or hospitality These declarations are recorded in the Register of Members' Interests, which is updated every two weeks
However, Ministers declare hospitality related to their government role through departmental declarations, which lack some key details - such as estimated value - and are only published quarterly (and often belatedly)When parliamentarians return to Westminster on October 7, all eyes will be on the Budget — the major parliamentary event on the immediate horizon However, as the Government’s legislative agenda picks up speed and select committees get underway, there will be many other important developments to track In the months ahead, we’ve identified 14 key issues worth watching closely, particularly as some of them may provide crucial signals about how this Government’s approach to and treatment of Parliament compares to its predecessors
The emphasis on granting broad powers instead of providing detailed policy can also create ‘handling’ challenges during the parliamentary scrutiny process, particularly in the House of Lords With a large number of new and relatively inexperienced MPs in the House of Commons, and Labour’s significant majority, concerns about the balance between primary and delegated legislation are unlikely to prove significant obstacles However, the House of Lords, and specifically the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, will closely examine these powers, raise their concerns and possibly propose amendments to restrain the powers Such scrutiny could delay the Bill’s passage, particularly if it results in a more drawn-out period of ‘ping-pong’ (when the bill is sent back and forth between the two Houses as they try to reach agreement on amendments to produce a final text)
More time spent initially on policy details would mitigate these issues and reduce the prospect of delays in the legislative pipelineThis briefing explains what to watch for during the Second Reading debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November It outlines the procedural and legislative issues that will come into play: the role of the Chair in managing the debate and how procedures such as the 'closure' and 'reasoned amendments' work It looks ahead to the Committee and Report stage procedures that will apply if the Bill progresses beyond Second Reading
It also examines the government's responsibilities, such as providing a money resolution for the Bill and preparing an Impact Assessment, while addressing broader concerns about the adequacy of Private Members’ Bill procedures for scrutinising controversial issuesIn 2012 she served as adviser to the independent Commission on Political and Democratic Reform in Gibraltar, and in 2013 as an independent member of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee Review Group Prior to joining the Society in 2008, she was head of research and communications for a Labour MP and Minister and ran his general election campaigns in 2001 and 2005 in a key marginal constituency“There’s a petition out there – 2 million people asking him to go
He’s the one who doesn’t know how things work, it’s not government that creates growth, it is business Businesses say they are cutting jobs because of the chancellor’s budget”, she addedNews / Select Committee chair elections: who won and can they work together? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 47In this episode, we explore the outcomes and implications of the latest Select Committee Chair elections in Parliament The newly elected chairs will play a pivotal role in scrutinising the government, but can they effectively work together? We talk to Dr
Marc Geddes, a leading expert on Select Committees, who highlights how this year’s competitive elections compare to previous parliaments and what that could mean for committee dynamics in the future13 Sep 2024Read moreCongress is currently in a lame duck session, with a continuing resolution set to expire on Dec 20, 2024, and Republicans should resist any attempts to do anything more than a short-term CR that ends on Jan 20, 2025, to avoid handcuffing an incoming Trump administration
The Second Reading debate on the bill will be a crucial test of the culture and civility of this newly elected House of Commons Assisted dying is a deeply emotive issue, and with uncertainty about how many MPs support it, the debate is sure to attract significant public attention and lively discussion on social media If the debate turns divisive, with supporters portrayed as compassionate and opponents as cruel - or the reverse – it will become rancorous (with the differences cutting across party lines as the House experienced during Brexit) The way MPs handle this debate will significantly impact their collective reputation in this Parliament, for better or worse
Once elected, the new leader will need to be ready for their first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, 6 November In their first week the new Leader may also reshuffle the shadow cabinet By then, select committee members may have already been appointed, but some may be chosen to join the new shadow cabinet, which could create vacancies on those committees and disrupt their early work If so, a further set of elections will be required to fill those seats
20, 2025, to avoid handcuffing an incoming Trump administration.The Second Reading debate on the bill will be a crucial test of the culture and civility of this newly elected House of Commons. Assisted dying is a deeply emotive issue, and with uncertainty about how many MPs support it, the debate is sure to attract significant public attention and lively discussion on social media. If the debate turns divisive, with supporters portrayed as compassionate and opponents as cruel - or the reverse – it will become rancorous (with the differences cutting across party lines as the House experienced during Brexit). The way MPs handle this debate will significantly impact their collective reputation in this Parliament, for better or worse.Once elected, the new leader will need to be ready for their first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, 6 November. In their first week the new Leader may also reshuffle the shadow cabinet. By then, select committee members may have already been appointed, but some may be chosen to join the new shadow cabinet, which could create vacancies on those committees and disrupt their early work. If so, a further set of elections will be required to fill those seats.
