Evaluate The View That Parliament Holds The Government To Account Effectively.

Introduction

parliamentary scrutiny = the process by which a legislature examines, challenges and holds the government to account for policies and actions

Paragraph Focus

• Para 1 = Committees

• Para 2 = Ministerial Question Time

• Para 3 = Legislative Scrutiny

Para 1 = Weaker Argument - Not Effectively

• A majority of Select Committee members are drawn from the governing party

• eg. the Home Affairs Select Committee currently has a Labour majority (5 MPs) to reflect the composition of the house of commons

• this shows that select committees cannot scrutinise the government effectively as government majorities limits the independence of select committees

• this limits pluralism (link to component 1) in decision making as MPs will be more likely to vote in line with their governing party, reducing the likelihood that governments will be held to account

• therefore limiting their ability to hold the government to account across all areas of policy and governance

Para 1 = Stronger Argument - Effectively

• eg. in April 2026, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee played a leading role in challenging the executive about the process behind Peter Mandelson’s appointment

• this shows that, since the Wright Reforms 2009, select committees are more independent of the government, allowing them to hold the government to account more effectively

• this allows the committee to work across party lines in a bi-partisan manner, allowing them to hold the government to account more effectively, despite govt majorities

Para 2 = Weaker Argument - Not Effectively

• eg. 18 March 2026, Labour MP Steve Witherden used his question at PMQs to state that Labour’s Employment Rights Act was the biggest increase for working rights for a generation

• this shows how PMQs can be ineffective in holding the government to account by using government backbenchers to praise the government rather than challenge it

• this means that representative democracy is undermined (link to component 1) as MPs may not be addressing the issues of the public

• this effectively shields the executive from being held to account

Para 2 = Stronger Argument - Effectively

• eg. 3rd June 2026, Reform leader Nigel Farage pressed Starmer about the police handling of the murder of Henry Novak claiming evidence of two tier policing

• this shows that PMQs keep pressure on the executive to directly address the concerns of the public and opposition, illustrating how PMQs allow parliament to hold the government to account

• this prevents an elective dictatorship where the executive would act without being checked and allow for full transparency

Para 3 = Weaker Argument - Not Effectively

• eg. the Assisted Dying Bill contained 42 delegated powers, meaning significant policy details were missing

• this shows how parliament can be ineffective as delegated powers enable ministers to shape key aspects of policy without full debate

• this means that governments would be subject to less accountability, undermining parliamentary scrutiny

Para 3 = Stronger Argument - Effectively

• eg. the Railways Bill 2026 was passed the committee stage after being examined by a public bill committee who received evidence that argued that bill lacks a clear and durable plan

• whilst their effectiveness is often limited by the government rushing legislation, this example demonstrates how legislative scrutiny is holding the government to account

• this prevents the passage of poorly drafted laws and maintains checks and balances in UK democracy