How does the UK Parliament hold the Government to account? - Dr Mark Bennister University of Lincoln

How does the UK Parliament
  hold the Government to
         account?

      Dr Mark Bennister
     University of Lincoln
   mbennister@lincoln.ac.uk

About me

• What does accountability
               look like?
             • Who is accountable?
               Who scrutinises?
             • Executive dominance?
Questions…   • How can Parliament
               constrain the executive?
             • What tools does
               Parliament use?

What does
      accountability look like?

All photos ©UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor

Who is accountable?
And who scrutinises?

• Ministers are formally
  accountable to Parliament
• Responsible for
  department
• Answer questions on floor
  of the House
• Scrutinised by Opposition
• Select Committees

                    All photos ©UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor

Except
             • 20 opposition days – 17 for opposition & 3 for second
                 largest opposition party;
Government   • 13 Fridays for Private Members’ Bills
             • Around 35 days for backbench business
 dominates
             But Government decides on:
  business         – Recess dates – (including length of parliamentary
                      session)
                   – Timing of all government bills and general debates;
                   – Whether time is available to debate select
                      committee reports;
                   – When 20 opposition day debates fall;
                   – May also make statement to the House at any time;
             • Business statement made to the House every Thursday –
                 followed by questions but no vote and no opportunity to
                 amend.

Constraints…
On the floor of the Commons

Select Committees

             •   40 years old
             •   Chairs elected by whole
                 House
             •   Less partisan
             •   More consensual
             •   Produce reports and
                 recommendations
             •   Scrutiny in public

Does PM always dominate?

Prime Minister’s
     Questions
• How does it work?
• Is it accountability?
• Does it matter?

                 All photos ©UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor

Leadership perceptions of PMQs
‘…we need to change, and we will change the way we
behave. I’m fed up with the “Punch and Judy” politics of
Westminster, the name calling, backbiting, point scoring,
finger pointing’
(David Cameron, quoted in The Guardian, 6 December
2005).

‘the most nerve-racking, discombobulating, nail-biting,
bowel-moving, terror-inspiring, courage-draining
experience in my prime ministerial life, without question’.
‘the walk [to PMQs] from the cell to the executioner’
(Tony Blair 2010)

Liaison
      Committee
•   Since 2002
•   Form of PM accountability
•   But only 2/3 times a year
•   More forensic
•   Expert questioning by senior
    MPs

Summary
• Executive still holds sway esp on policymaking,
  controls agenda and therefore time
• Parliament can be most assertive – but largely
  delaying/think again type action
• But… PM doesn’t always dominate
• PM is scrutinised by Parl
• But not always ‘effective’

Reading
• Bennister, M. and Heffernan, R. (2015), ‘The Limits to Prime
  Ministerial Autonomy: Cameron and the constraints of
  coalition’ Parliamentary Affairs, 68 (1), 25-41.
• Bennister, M and Larkin (2018) ‘Accountability in Parliament’
  in (eds) Leston-Bandeira, C. & Thompson, L. (2018), Exploring
  Parliament, OUP.
• Kaarbo, J. & Kenealy (2016), ‘No, prime minister: explaining
  the House of Commons’ vote on intervention in Syria’
  European Security, 25 (1), 28-48.
• Kelso, A., Bennister, M. & Larkin, P. (2016), ‘The shifting
  landscape of prime ministerial accountability to parliament:
  An analysis of Liaison Committee scrutiny sessions’ The
  British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 18 (3),
  740-754
• Norton, P. (2013), Parliament in British Politics, Palgrave,
  chapt 3 & 4.

Online Resources
•   Kelly, R and Bennister, M (2020) ‘The Liaison Committee: taking evidence from the
    Prime Minister’, House of Commons Library Briefing Paper, Number 08182,
    available online
    http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8182
•   Institute for Government Parliamentary Resources including piece on holding
    Government to account over COVID19
    https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/our-work/parliament
•   UCL Constitution Unit see in particular recent report on Parliament and Brexit and
    on impact of select committees https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-
    unit/research/parliament
•   PSA Parliaments Specialist Group see my reflections on PM performance at
    Liaison committee here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-
    unit/research/parliament
•   Hansard Society Lots of great material on parliament including recent piece on the
    wait for the Intelligence and Security Committee by my colleague Andrew Defty
    here https://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/where-is-the-intelligence-and-
    security-committee-and-why-does-its-absence
•   Also see Lincoln Centre for Parliamentary Research ParliLinc
    https://parlilinc.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/