The House of Commons has appointed a new Modernisation Committee and issued a call for views on what it should address.
So what is the Modernisation Committee, and what should it be doing?
Our Director, Dr Ruth Fox, led Hansard Society members in an online discussion on Modernisation Committee reforms.
6:30-7:45pm, Tuesday 19 November 2024 online via Zoom
This is a meeting for Hansard Society members and their friends. Not already a member of the Hansard Society? Join us now!
A new Modernisation Committee has been established to explore potential reforms to the House of Commons’ procedures, standards and working practices.
Chaired by the Leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, the Committee has issued a call for views. We invite members and their friends to join us in discussing the Society’s planned response. Whether you have views of your own, would like to ask questions, or would simply like to hear what others think, this is a key moment in the parliamentary cycle for us all to reflect and shape the Hansard Society’s contribution to the debate.
Dr Ruth Fox is Director of the Hansard Society and co-host of our weekly Parliament Matters podcast. Ruth’s research focuses on parliamentary strengthening, constitutional reform, and public attitudes to politics. She is the co-author of The Devil is in the Detail: Parliament and Delegated Legislation, the first detailed study of the parliamentary scrutiny of delegated legislation for decades. She regularly gives evidence to parliamentary select committees and contributes to a wide range of current affairs programmes on radio and television, commentating on parliamentary process and political reform.
In this fourth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we take you inside the Public Bill Committee as it scrutinises the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - a landmark proposal seeking to legalise assisted dying. The Committee is in full swing, debating amendments, and tensions are running high. We sit down with Sarah Olney MP, a key player in the discussions, to unpack the latest developments.
In this episode we dissect the fallout from Labour’s WhatsApp purge following the Andrew Gwynne affair and what it means for political communication at Westminster. We also explore the latest news from the House of Commons Modernisation Committee, discussing its focus on improving accessibility to Parliament, legislative scrutiny, and the debate over MPs holding second jobs.
The assisted dying bill (Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill) is now at the Committee stage, where a Public Bill Committee reviews the bill clause by clause. This briefing outlines the Committee’s role, how MPs propose changes to the bill and where these are published, how the Chair selects and groups amendments, and how these are debated and voted on.
The assisted dying bill is about to undergo detailed scrutiny by the Public Bill Committee - a group of 23 MPs tasked with reviewing the Bill’s text and proposing amendments to refine and improve it. But what exactly happens during this amendment process? Former House of Commons Clerk, Paul Evans CBE, breaks it down. Plus, we hear from Dr Ben Spencer MP, a former consultant psychiatrist turned parliamentarian, who has proposed dozens of amendments to the Bill.
Stay informed with updates and analysis on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as it moves through Parliament. Learn about the debates, procedures, decisions, and key milestones shaping the assisted dying legislation.
