Debunking the Myths of Bill Committees in the British House of Commons

Bill committees play a crucial role in the scrutiny of government legislation, yet they have traditionally been overlooked by academics and journalists in favour of the more newsworthy aspects of parliamentary scrutiny on the floor of the House of Commons chamber or by investigative select committee...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPolitics (Manchester, England) Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 36 - 48
Main Author Thompson, Louise
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.02.2016
Subjects
House of Commons
legislative scrutiny
bill committees
specialisation
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Summary:Bill committees play a crucial role in the scrutiny of government legislation, yet they have traditionally been overlooked by academics and journalists in favour of the more newsworthy aspects of parliamentary scrutiny on the floor of the House of Commons chamber or by investigative select committees. This lack of interest has perpetuated a series of myths about bill committee work. This article discusses the common depictions of bill committees before demonstrating why these are incorrect. It argues that these incorrect assumptions can damage our perception of the policy influencing power of Parliament and that bill committees deserve a kinder billing in the literature.
ISSN:0263-3957
1467-9256
DOI:10.1111/1467-9256.12094