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Parliament cost £551 million to run last year, a figure calculated for the first time in a new report by the Institute for Government.

This is the equivalent of the day-to-day cost of running a medium sized government department such as the Department for Education or Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Published yesterday, Parliamentary Monitor 2018 offers the first complete picture of Parliament’s work in the year since June 2017. It explains how Parliament spends its time and taxpayers’ money, setting out how MPs and peers scrutinise legislation and hold the Government to account through select committees, questions and debates.

The report finds that salaries and expenses of parliamentarians make up less than half this total figure. Each select committee also costs around half a million pounds per year to run.

The report shows how Brexit has consumed Parliament’s time. One in eight select committee inquiries focused on Brexit, with many more touching on related issues. The EU Withdrawal Act took nearly a year and more than 273 hours of debate to become law – almost four times as long as the second-most debated piece of legislation (the Data Protection Act). Other Brexit-related legislation, such as the crucial Trade and Customs Bills, have been slowed down by political disagreement.

The report also finds:

• Controversies over Private Members’ Bills (‘up-skirting’) have raised questions about whether Parliament’s procedures are working well enough.
• Both Houses of Parliament have sat for more days than most other legislatures around the world.
• Since the start of this Parliament, backbenchers have increased their use of parliamentary questions and emergency debates to hold government to account.
• The Government’s plan to use secondary legislation including ‘Henry VIII powers’ to deliver Brexit, has renewed longstanding concerns about governments’ use of secondary legislation.
• Select committees are discovering their strength – including the Home Affairs Committee’s work on Windrush. More chairs of Commons committees are former ministers, adding clout.
• Just 32% of MPs are women and 32% of Commons committee members are women.

Dr Hannah White, Director of Research at the Institute for Government, said:

“This report sets out what Parliament has done, how well it is working, and the key questions it needs to ask itself to ensure it is as effective as possible. But many aspects of Parliament – including its value as an institution of democracy – cannot be measured, so it doesn’t make sense to about Parliament as a whole ‘succeeding’ or ‘failing’.”

Dr Alice Lilly, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government, said:

“Parliament plays a vital role in passing legislation and holding government to account. It also exists to encourage debate and represent citizens. So, it is important that Parliament itself understands how well it is working – is able to tell people why what it does matters.” 

Notes to editors

• The full report is available on our website.
• Parliamentary Monitor is the first in an annual publication. It aims to help people understand how Parliament is working, help parliamentarians prove their value to the public they represent, and show where reform is needed.
• The Institute for Government is an independent think tank that works to make government more effective.
• For more information, please contact nicole@instituteforgovernment.org.uk / 0785 031 3791.

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