Make Parliament Work

To enhance legislative quality, we propose rigorous pre-legislative scrutiny for all bills prior to parliamentary consideration. Addressing concerns about the influence of Whips in the Commons, measures to diminish their power would be explored. Additionally, we advocate for the establishment of permanent elected legislative committees for each government department, aiming to replace ad hoc public bill committees, with various approaches to be trialed for effectiveness. Implementing recommendations from reports such as the Wright and Goodlad reports, including the creation of House business committees and an evidence-taking stage for all bills, is crucial. Furthermore, limiting the use of rules to restrict debate in the Commons to cases of genuine rule abuse, instituting post-legislative scrutiny for significant policy-changing bills, and mandating the maintenance of a register of lobbyists and records of their interactions with legislators or government officials are deemed necessary steps for enhancing parliamentary efficacy.