Parliaments, as representative bodies of the people, have a fundamental democratic duty to deliberate and ratify laws that govern their societies. They are also key to establishing the rule of law, ensuring transparent governance processes and safeguarding human rights.
While it is important to note that there are differences between parliamentary systems (there are both presidential and parliamentary systems; there are unicameral and bicameral parliaments), there is no doubt that, in general, the quality of democracy depends on the effectiveness with which parliaments carry out their legislative functions. This includes the capacity to assess the full scope of proposed legislation and its consequences from diverse perspectives – legal, social, economic or environmental.
The capacity of parliament to fulfil this function depends on several factors:
One of the most critical is how representative it is, i.e. how well it reflects the nation in all its diversity. This can be seen in terms of the make-up and connection with constituencies of its members, but is often more acutely felt when it comes to the House of Lords, where there are still disproportionate numbers of white men compared to the population as a whole.
The other major factor is the extent to which parliaments are able to exercise their oversight and scrutiny functions over the executive. This can range from the ability to impose sanctions – such as the infamous ‘no confidence’ motion – on the government, through to how well MPs are able to hold the executive to account through regular departmental question sessions and during the high profile Prime Minister’s Questions session.