Cp4d Malawi - Strengthening Committee Scrutiny Report Summary 03 - 05 March 2020
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CP4D MALAWI - STRENGTHENING COMMITTEE SCRUTINY REPORT SUMMARY 03 - 05 MARCH 2020 PROGRAMME OVERVIEW Programme purpose: Improving parliamentary scru- From 3 - 5 March 2020, CPA UK organised a programme on Strengthening Committee Scrutiny in tiny through the strengthening partnership with the Scottish Parliament for a project funded by the Commonwealth Partnership of parliamentary committees in for Democracy (CP4D). Building on the Post-Election Seminar delivered in August 2019, the programme focused on the strengthening of committees and enhancing legislative scrutiny Malawi by enhancing the skills of through developing the technical skills of committee members and officials. Members and Clerks attending. The delegation was led by Hon. George Zulu MP, Member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Programme Outcomes: and included Hon. Horace Chipuwa MP, Chair of the Local Authorities and Rural Development Committee; Hon. Gladys Ganda MP, Vice Chairperson for Defense and Security Committee; and Outcome 1. Participating com- Hon. Ulemu Chilapondwa MP, Vice Chair of the Agriculture Committee. Together, the delegation mitee Members and Clerks have represented ten of Malawi’s parliamentary committees. strengthened their technical The programme consisted of a day of meetings and discussions with MPs and clerks as well as skills and know-how on scruti- observing committee and chamber proceedings in the Houses of Parliament; followed by a day ny, aiding the delivery of their at the CP4D Inclusive Politics Conference; and lastly observing First Minister’s Questions in the respective committees’ remit ef- Scottish Parliament along with meetings with several officials. fectively and efficiently. The programme covered a variety of topics including: Outcome 2. The relationships • Parliamentary Scrutiny Tools between the UK and Malawi are • Developing Committee Aims, Objectives and Strategy • Conducting Effective Inquiries further strengthened. • Committee Reports & Follow Up Outputs Feedback from the delegates indicated........... Output 1: Enhanced technical skills of ten committee Members and two Clerks participating in the programme with demon- strated increase in knowledge on tools of parliamentary scru- tiny. Output 2: UK and Malawian parliamentarians have deep- ened their understanding of eachother’s Parliament and po- litical context. Output 3: A comprehensive report has been produced and disseminated to all key stake- holders. Delegates in the Chamber of the Scottish Parliament CPA UK |CP4D Malawi Strengthening Committee Scrutiny CP4D MALAWI - STRENGTHENING COMMITTEE SCRUTINY FULL REPORT 03 - 05 MARCH 2020 PROGRAMME BACKGROUND This project is working with the Parliament of Malawi through a period of transition. It builds on significant work by a number of stakeholders including CPA UK, CPA Scotland, the UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST), AFIDEP and others to build the capacity of the Parliament, particularly around research and evidence-based policy making. Throughout the course of this project, CPA UK is continuously interacting and engaging with all related stakeholders, both parliamentary and development-related, to reduce overlap whilst ensuring greater outcomes. Neil Parish MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee The project is being delivered KEY PROGRAMME TOPICS AND EVENTS through a series of workshops, short-term attachments, and study visits. CPA UK has partnered TOOLS FOR PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY IN THE UK with the Parliament of Scotland (CPA Scotland), which has historic ties and To form the basis of discussions in the programme, Baroness Barker met KEY FACTORS THAT EFFECT THE a long-term strategic relationship the delegation to highlight the tools for parliamentary scrutiny in the UK. with the Parliament One of Parliament’s main roles is to examine and challenge the work of PROCESS OF SCRUTINY INCLUDE: of Malawi. In the run-up to the the government. The House of Commons and the House of Lords use • The access to information elections in May 2019, CPA UK • The rules governing the provided support and capacity similar methods of scrutiny, although procedures can vary: access to information building to parliamentary staff, • The time needed to obtain with a focus on committee clerks Questions information and the time and staff from the legislative team. taken to utilise it. A second workshop focused on best MPs and Peers get the opportunity to question government ministers practice for designing directly in their respective chambers through oral questions or in writing. induction programmes for newly- elected members of parliament. This training was designed to help staff • In the Commons, Ministers from each government department answer oral questions on a prepare for the new rota basis with each major Government department being allocated a particular day of the parliament, apply learnings to week on a rota agreed by the Government and Opposition parties. their processes, and enable the • In he Lords, the House questions government ministers at the start of each day’s business, but parliament to undertake the CPA there are no set days for government departments. Benchmark self-assessment. Following last year’s elections, this project provided support to new Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) members of parliament through a comprehensive induction The Prime Minister answers questions every sitting Wednesday from 12.00noon -12.30pm. programme, with particular emphasis on women and young Debates parliamentarians. Through the upcoming programme MPs and Peers hold debates each week to discuss issues and scrutinise legislation. in Westminster and Edinburgh, the project will also continue to provide technical support • MPs look at the creation and amendment of laws as well as national and international issues through strengthening of during debates in the House of Commons chamber. At the end of a debate, often a division is committees and enhancing called to see whether a majority of Members support what was discuessed or not. legislative scrutiny. In the Malawian • MPs also have an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a Parliament, considerable work is government minister through Westminster Hall debates, which take place in the Commons undertaken through committees secondary chmaber, the Grand Committee Room. and CPA UK will continue to work • Peers at the House of Lords have general debates for a full day once a week and shorter debates closely with the Parliament to enhance their accountability lasting around 90 minutes on most other days. They also check the work of government by processes and legislative scrutiny scrutinising legislation. function. CPA UK |CP4D Malawi Strengthening Committee Scrutiny Committees • Carefully pick a topic which members have PROGRAMME PARTNERS consensus on and one that is not already a The UK Committee System is recognised for its hot topic being extensively debated in the effective scrutiny of government policy, proposed chamber as there will be little value added. new laws and wider topics like the economy. Gathering information Depending on the remit of a committee, its role can range from offering advice, to producing • Acknowledge that expertise wihtin reports or altering legislation. a committee usually correlates with experiance The House of Commons has departmental • Identify who the best people are to get select committees which shadow government information from, who are the experts? departments and scrutinise the spending, • Identify how will the information be administration and policy of each department. obtained? These committees recieve much attention from the public and the media. Relations within a Committee Both Houses have permanent and temporary • Achieving results hugely depends on committees. MPs and Lords also work together in bulding consensus and leaving party politics Joint Select Committees. behind. Given the effectiveness of committees and “In a committee, you form an alliance different the attention by the public and the media, the to that of parties, that’s how you achieve the government tends to issue responses to most best work” committee reports. • Building trust with committee staff and Delegates had the opportunity to obseve some ensurig respect of all within a committee is of the procedures highlighted above including also key. observing debates in the House of Commons, First Minister’s Questions in Edinburgh and committee Finally, to achieve committee aims and procedures in a Lords Select Committee in objectives ,the importance of good programme Westminster. management to deliver the strategy was stressed. DEVELOPING COMMITTEE AIMS, OBJECTIVES CONDUCTING AN EFFECTIVE INQUIRY & STRATEGY The bulk of committee work is built around As several of the “VALUE FOR MONEY inquiries into particular topics – an area of policy, delegates were COMMITTEE” scrutiny of a draft Bill, or a response to some Members of the event; Neil Parish MP, Chair of the Environment, Public Accounts The UK PAC differs from Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Ian Committee in most other committees as Bradshaw, the Clerk of the Committee, met the Malawi, CPA it does not scrutinise policy, delgates to discuss how to conduct effective UK arranged a but how well government inquiries. Given that several members sat in meeting with implements policy and committees of a similar remit, many comparisons CPA UK- MALAWI experienced UK if value for money was were drawn, and good practice identified. RELATIONS PAC