The future
25. The final, shortened session of a Parliament
produces a different pattern of activity and thus requirements
of the Unit. The lower level of draft bill scrutiny is countered
by concentrated periods of activity preparing for Public Bill
Committee evidence sessions. The Unit has also offered to provide
assistance - when possible - to the Public Bill Office in the
drafting of Private Members' Bills and the two legal specialists
have received some additional training with this in mind. Demands
from select committees are likely to be subject to peaks and troughs,
as they seek to complete all their inquiries and publish reports
before the General Election. We will continue to liaise closely
with committee staff to assess and meet potential demands as best
we can during this busy period. The financial and performance
cycle will continue to provide a good proportion of work but we
are preparing to consider how the pattern and nature of this work
may be affected by the results of the Alignment project.
26. Looking further ahead to the new Parliament a
different set of priorities will probably be required. There is
likely to be a window before the establishment of new select committees
in which the training of Committee Office staff can take place.
The Unit will look to play a full part in these activities, drawing
on the work it has already facilitated on new inquiries and the
results of the research project on evidence gathering being undertaken
by an LSE team. Further training for colleagues on economics,
the presentation of statistics and the implications of the Alignment
project may also be provided, depending on demand. We will also
prepare a toolkit for carrying out post-legislative scrutiny which
may form the basis of a training workshop. The Unit will seek
to contribute to briefings provided for new Members and their
staff, as part of the programme of talks being developed under
the supervision of the Unit's Deputy Head (Legislation). This
period may also provide opportunities for Unit staff to develop
their own skills, whether on organised training or participation
in projects across the House.
27. A new Parliament with a substantial number of
new Members, together with an enhanced appetite for parliamentary
reform, may well create further demands on committees and House
staff more generally. Where we have the capacity and skills to
help meet any new demands, we will seek to do so. It is one of
the key roles of the Unit to provide the Committee Office and
the House with added flexibility to respond to sudden demands;
consequently the future balance of our work is unpredictable.
We will seek to ensure that our staff complement allows us to
best meet this challenge, with continued use of short-term internships
and secondments. We will reassess our provision of support to
committees and elsewhere once the select committees are up and
running in the new Parliament.
Chris Shaw
Head, Scrutiny Unit
January 2010
