Reforming the House of Commons

The crisis in public trust in Parliament, sparked by the revelations on MPs' expenses, has provoked a wider debate on reform of democratic institutions in Britain. At the Hansard Society we welcome the increased attention to an area of debate we have long been actively involved in.

To contribute to the ongoing reform discussions, the Parliament & Government programme has produced a briefing paper summarising the issues around parliamentary reform, and setting out our proposals for strengthening Parliament in relation to government and improving its workings.

Launching the blueprint for reform, Dr Ruth Fox, Director of Parliament and Government programme at the Hansard Society, said, ‘The authority of the House of Commons rests on public confidence and consent. Yet public trust and faith in our politicians and the political process is at a very low ebb. As a priority the public want the financing of MPs cleaned up but they also want a more effective Parliament. The election of a new Speaker of the House of Commons provides a rare opportunity to face up to the challenge this poses and fundamentally reform the way that the House of Commons works in the public interest.'

‘What is needed is a coherent package of reforms that rebalance the relationship between parliamentarians and the executive, improve the scrutiny process, enhance the quality and effectiveness of law making, strengthen the relationship between Parliament and the public and make the House of Commons more efficient.'

‘The Hansard Society has, for over 20 years, been making recommendations for the reform of Parliament based on our research. But too often governments cherry-pick reforms because they are attractive, populist and easy to implement. We cannot afford ‘back of the envelope' proposals this time. That's why, at this important moment in Parliament's history, we've set out a blueprint for reform which we hope the next Speaker of the House of Commons and the party leaders will take on board.'

Among the blueprint proposals recommended by the Hansard Society are:

• A Business Committee for the House of Commons to put control of the parliamentary timetable in the hands of a cross party body of MPs rather than leaving it in the control of the executive.
• A Parliamentary Finance Office, modelled on the US Government Accounting Office, would provide individual MPs with independent expertise and advice on financial matters, empowering them to better scrutinise public spending and taxation proposals.
• A shift towards a committee based culture in the House of Commons with the main chamber taking on a plenary focus. Select committee chairs and members should be elected by MPs not party whips, the work of committees should be better integrated into wider parliamentary activity and more time should be set aside for the detailed work that committees undertake.
• A system of e-Petitions, managed through a new Petitions Committee, to help revitalise public engagement with Parliament. Hansard Society research shows that the public are more likely to sign a petition than to engage in any other form of democratic activity. This has to be properly integrated into parliamentary procedures.
• The appointment of a Chief Executive to professionalise the organisation and operation of the House of Commons. At present the House is managed by the Clerk of the House. Clerks are expert professional advisers on constitutional and procedural issues. They are not experts in management, budgets, human resources and logistics. A Chief Executive should take on these responsibilities.

A copy of the briefing paper can be downloaded here. It was launched at the Hansard Society Speaker Hustings on 15 June 2009.