Parliament.co.uk states scrutiny should be:
Transparent: parliamentary questions and debates ensure that government does not happen behind closed doors.
Thorough and evidence-based: scrutiny should encourage and push the Government to consider all the options and, at times, to think again.
Political: but not to the exclusion of non-partisan, constructive exchange of views.
Focused: addressing key areas of government action and policy, whether these are topical or of long-term importance.
A two-way process: encouraging dialogue between Members and the executive.
Continuous: good scrutiny is not a matter of one-off set-piece displays, but of on-going debate and argument.
. The Opposition = Oppose many of the Government's legislative proposals, and 'attack' the legislative process by tabling amendments and forcing votes. The Government attempt to look like a 'government-in-waiting', so they develop their own policies and openly express how they'd do things differently. Also, if the Government has a small or non-existent majority, the opposition may be able to force u-turns or inflict defeats. However, the Government can draw upon the expertise of the civil service, while the opposition has to rely on 'Short Money' (limited state funding) to fund parliamentary researchers. Also, Government control over the parliamentary timetable means the opposition has few opportunities to set the agenda.
. Debates = MPs can also express their views and try to influence policy in debates on current events and Government actions. Ministers also make statements to parliament on major issues, and these are followed by a debate.
. Select Committees = Departmental select committees were created in 1979 to scrutinise the policy, administration and expenditure of Government departments. The membership of select committees varies from 11-14 backbench MPs, this reflects the party balance in the Commons. Committees often have a reputation of independence, which causes unease in the Government. Occasionally, this results in the removal of the chair(s) of the committee, as seen successfully in Major's government (Nicholas Winterton, 1992) and unsuccessfully in Blair's Government (Gwyneth Dunwoody, 2001). Over time, committee members can develop better expertise of their chosen field than the relevant minister(s).
Descriptive Representation:
. This occurs when a legislature reflects the society it represents. In the UK, attention has often been focused to the under-representation of women in the Commons. Whilst the number of female MPs has risen over recent decades (143 at the 2010 General Election), only 22% of the Commons compared to 51% of the UK population. Two key methods have been used by the Labour and Conservative Parties to increase female candidates, these are:
All-women shortlists = These were used by Labour for the 1997, 2005 and 2010 general elections. It means that some constituency Labour parties are required to select their parliamentary candidate from a list of women. All-women shortlists are 'equality guarantees', as they ensure a female candidate will be selected in a constituency.
Priority list = David Cameron's 'A list' in 2005 introduced a priority list for the top 100 Conservative target seats. This was an 'equality promotion' initiative that set a general target of more female MPs, but it didn't guarantee that women would be selected in winnable seats. In 2010, 36 new women Conservative MPs were elected (meaning an overall total of 49 women in the Commons), although only 19 of them had been on the 'A list'.
Other areas of under-representation:
Ethic Diversity - as of 2010, only 26 black and minority ethnic (BME) MPs were elected (an increase of 11). This is only 4% of the House, and 8% of the population. All-BME shortlists have been recommended.
Age - The average age of MPs fell to 50 in 2010. Young and under-represented in the Commons, with most MPs being aged 35-55.
Sexual orientation - Only 20 openly gay members in the 2010 parliament.
Education - More than 1/3 of MPs elected in 2010 attended a fee-paying schools, but fewer than 10% of voters did. 9/10 MPs have been to university, with over 1/4 going to Oxbridge.
Social class - ex-manual Labour MPs have declined. Only 10% of Labour's MPs in 2005 had been manual labourers.
The 7 key functions of Parliament.
2) Making laws.
6) Financial scrutiny.
Parliament’s scrutiny of this taxation and expenditure is fundamental to our political system. As the public’s representative body, it is Parliament’s constitutional responsibility to hold government to account between elections for the money it raises and spends on our behalf. It is responsible for scrutinising both past and future expenditure, holding government to account for its actions and ensuring that public money is raised and used wisely (and for appropriate purposes) and provides value for money.
7) Redress of grievances.
(Also known as 'Ping Pong')
5) Representation.
The House of Commons consists of 650 MPs, elected through FPTP on the basis of universal suffrage among adults over the age of 18. This function of parliament seeks to achieve representation from all members of society, to reflect the nation in the lower House.
The final task of the Commons is the redress of specific grievances. All MPs, even the Prime Minster, are elected by a constituency in which they are the sole representative and link with Parliament. Therefore, they must ask questions or raise matters in debate concerning the problems of their area and constituents. This work is often done informally and behind the scenes by meetings in the constituency and by letters to, and discussion with, ministers or civil servants.
MPs receive millions of letters a year primarily from their constituents (as many as 50%). The majority of these letters are concerned with individual matters - housing, welfare benefits etc. After these concerns have been raised, MPs will often question ministers after receiving information from their constituents regarding how decisions have in some way harmed them. Its political impact may be limited nationally but is locally significant. The MP may meet 10% of constituents, and though it has been found that the best efforts are worth only about 1500 votes, this number could affect the result in about 20 constituencies.
1) Debating major issues:
In the Commons, debates are often lively. It is a dynamic style of discussion, in which MPs generally respond to the points made by other speakers rather than reading out formal, set-piece speeches.
However, rules still govern debates. MPs have a right to be heard without overwhelming background noise, and 'unparliamentary' language is not allowed.
4) Scrutinising the Government.
In the Lords, many Members have considerable experience in industries, professions and organisations and they are able to put this experience to good use during debates in the chamber, which the public can attend.
The Lords is self-regulating. Therefore, there can be greater flexibility to examine an issue for longer than is typical in the Commons.
3) Scrutinising the Executive.
There are three main ways in which Parliament can scrutinise the Government. These are:
'Parliament holds the executive to account by questioning and challenging the executive's policies and actions, and requiring ministers and senior officials, in person, to account publicly for their decisions.' - Parliament.co.uk
Question Time is the most popular example of scrutinising the Executive.