Transcript Parliament Education Service

Parliament’s Education Service
The work of Parliament: Scrutiny
> Parliament makes sure that the government is doing
a good job by ...
> Asking questions
> Debating important issues
> Examining issues in small groups
Select Committees
Select Committees examine issues in detail, from specific
government policies to wider topics like the economy.
Select Committees
Commons
What? There is one committee for
each government department,
looking at spending, policies and
administration.
Who? Each committee has a
minimum of 11 members. They
decide upon lines of inquiry and then
gather written and oral evidence.
Outcomes? Findings are printed,
reported to the House of Commons,
and published on the Parliament
website. The government then
usually has 60 days to reply to the
committee's recommendations.
Lords
What? There are five major Lords
Select Committees:
- the European Union Committee
- the Science and Technology
Committee
- the Communications Committee
- the Constitution Committee
- the Economic Affairs Committee
Who? These five committees are reappointed at the beginning of a
parliamentary session.
Outcomes? Committees draw on
Members of the Lords’ expertise and
time. They publish reports on areas of
inquiry, and can examine issues that
cut across departments.
How do Select Committees work?
Commons Select Committees
Foreign Affairs
Culture, Media and Sport
Defence
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Health
Business, Innovation and Skills
Energy and Climate Change
Home affairs
Science and Technology
Education
Major Lords Select Committees
European Union Committee
Science and Technology Committee
Communications Committee
Constitution Committee
Economic Affairs Committee
Select Committee Activities
Activity for students
Aid and international development:
Discussing the issues
Aid: the issues
Whose need is greatest?
At a time when the government is trying to cut the budget
deficit, some people want the money spent on aid to be
used at home. How do the needs of people in countries
like the UK compare with needs elsewhere? And what is
the best way to balance them?
Aid: the issues
Does aid always reach the people who need it?
Some of the countries that receive UK aid have problems
with corruption; others have recently come out of civil
wars or don't have a stable government. Some of these
regions are home to the people who need aid the most,
so should we prioritise helping them? Or should we
withdraw aid if there is a danger that some of it will go
astray?
Aid: the issues
Can aid be non-political?
How should we decide how much aid a country should
receive? Is it based on need? Or should we give more to
countries where there are some benefits for us, for
example, where giving aid might improve our security?
Aid: the issues
Is aid always the best type of help?
Should we focus on giving aid to countries in need or are
there sometimes better alternatives? What is the role of
measures like improving trade and economic growth?
Can these options ever remove the need for aid, or are
they complementary strategies?
Aid: the issues
Do aid donors understand the needs of the people they
want to help?
Some countries have very complex political situations and
complex needs. Is it possible for donors like the UK,
whose circumstances are very different, to understand
the needs of these countries? Are there ways of
ensuring we give the most useful kinds of help, for
example, by involving members of local communities in
decisions?
Aid: the issues
How much aid should we give?
A number of European countries set a target of spending
0.7% of their annual budget on aid. Does having a target
like this help to ensure that countries prioritise aid? Or
should aid expenditure be decided in other ways, such
as on a case-by-case basis?
Aid: the issues
What would happen if we reduced aid?
If the UK gave less aid, what effect would this have? What
might be the human cost? What is the potential impact
on the UK's international standing and influence? Would
there be hidden costs, such as increased conflict over
resources? How should we balance these possible
consequences against the cost of giving aid?