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A Place at the Table? Parliamentary Committees, Witnesses and the Scrutiny of Government Actions and Legislation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2019

Hugh Bochel  and
Anouk Berthier
Hugh Bochel
Affiliation:
School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lincoln E-mail: hbochel@lincoln.ac.uk
Anouk Berthier
Affiliation:
Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Scottish Parliament E-mail: Anouk.Berthier@parliament.scot
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Abstract

Issues of diversity in elected bodies have been highlighted in recent years, both with regard to elected representatives themselves, and, more recently, in respect of the treatment of those working in such institutions, especially women. This article focuses on another aspect of diversity, inequality and representation, the voices heard by parliamentary committees in their scrutiny of government actions and legislation.

The article discusses the current position in the Scottish Parliament (and other UK legislatures) with, for example, around three-fifths of witnesses at Holyrood being male, and highlights both ‘demand’ and ‘supply’ factors that influence the make-up of committee witnesses. It also identifies a number of functions that witnesses can play for committees, and how these relate to diversity and representation, and suggests that there may be benefits to committees and legislatures in hearing from a wider range of voices.

Keywords

DiversityrepresentationgenderScottish Parliamentparticipation
Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , January 2020 , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019 

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