Innovative qualification in parliamentary procedure secures validation from City University
2 September 2019
The Qualification in Advising MPs on Parliamentary Procedure, run by the House of Commons Centre of Excellence for Procedural Practice, has been formally validated by City, University of London as a Postgraduate Certificate.
This innovative and rigorous course which was first piloted in 2017 enables participants to develop a high level of knowledge of Parliamentary procedure, preparing them to advise MPs on procedure with confidence and accuracy.
The qualification covers a range of House of Commons procedures such as the scheduling of business, the passage of legislation, and the role of Select Committees.
Although primarily open to staff within the House of Commons Chamber and Committee Team, it is also open to other staff across the House who have an identified business need to understand procedure at an advanced level.
John Benger, Clerk of the House of Commons commented:
“I am delighted that this ground-breaking course has secured validation with City, University of London. This is testament to all the work put in by the Centre of Excellence for Procedural Practice over the past two years.
“At a time when there is such a focus on parliamentary procedure, it is vital that we have a team of experts able to advise MPs with clarity and authority, and with an understanding of the political context in which the advice is being sought.
“Alongside other recent innovation such as the launch of the plain English MPs' Guide to Procedure and the establishment of an online version of Erskine May, this is another example of the House of Commons ensuring that its processes and procedures are as accessible and transparent as possible.”
Professor Laurence Solkin, City's Academic Director of Collaborative Provision, added:
“We, at City, University of London, are very pleased to be able to support the Centre of Excellence for Procedural Practice through validating this course.
“Through validation, we recognise the quality of the educational work they are undertaking in developing their workforce.
“This represents an important addition to our existing successful partnership with the House of Commons, with the new course supplementing the existing course in Parliamentary Reporting provided by Hansard.”