Agenda

Professional Certificate in Parliamentary Affairs

Day One

09:30 Refreshments
09:45 Chairman's Welcome and Introductions
10:00 Structure and Core Functions of Parliament
Different Types of Parliament
Westminster model and variants across the Commonwealth
Other Models (Presidential, mixed)
11:30 Morning coffee
11:45 Scheduling Parliamentary Business
The role of the whips
The role of the speaker and the speaker's office
The leader of the house
The role of clerks
Urgent business and questions
Backbench business and government business
Parliamentary Debates
13:00 Lunch
13:45 The Stages of a Bill through Parliament
Scrutiny of legislation in parliament
Scrutiny in committees
Debates and the roles of each house
Stages of a Bill
Delegated Legislation
Different types of Bill in different Parliaments
Parliament and the Courts – challenges to parliamentary sovereignty?
15:00 Afternoon tea
15:15 Parliament and the Courts
Challenges to Parliamentary Sovereignty?
The link between to what is discussed in Parliament and Court decisions
Approaches in different countries
15:45 The Work of Parliament and Parliamentarians
16:30 Close

Day Two

09:30 Refreshments
09:45 Chairman's Welcome and Recap
10:00 Representation
The Trustee or Delegate view of representation
Obstacles to Representation
New forms of representation: Constituency Development Funds
Approaches in different countries
11:00 Morning coffee
11:15 Accountability and Oversight: Parliamentary Scrutiny
Different forms of accountability
Oversight mechanisms in Parliament
Scrutiny of legislation
Scrutiny of the executive
Scrutiny of the civil service
13:00 Lunch
13:45 The Work of Parliament and Parliamentarians
14:45 Afternoon Tea
15:00 How can Parliamentary Committees work most Effectively?
Holding an Effective Inquiry: Principles and Procedures
Types of committees
Representation, legislation and oversight in committees
Scrutiny by committees
The role of the Chairperson
Challenges for parliamentary committees
Select Committees in the Commons and Lords
16:30 Close

Day Three

09:30 Refreshments
09:45 Chairman's Welcome and Recap
10:00 Supra-National Parliaments: Case Study
11:15 Morning Coffee
11:30 Executive/Legislative Relations
Nature of Responsible Government
Executive Dominance
Parliamentary responses and opportunities
The Role and responsibilities of Civil Servants
Jurisdictional analysis 
A Model of Parliamentary Power
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Trip to the Houses of Parliament
16:30 Close