作者 Thompson, Louise, author.

標題 Making British law : committees in action / Louise Thompson.

目錄
	List of Figures					x
	List of Tables					xi
	Preface and Acknowledgements					xii
1.	Introduction					1
	Discredited scrutiny					2
	Understudied and overshadowed					3
	Why should we care about committee work?					6
	Aims and structure of this book					7
2.	The Role and Function of Bill Committees					10
	Committees and the legislative process					11
	Moving upstairs					15
	Purpose					16
	Sittings and membership					16
	Committee procedure					19
	Programming					23
	Evidence taking					25
	Beyond scrutiny					27
	Limitations and opportunities					29
3.	The History and Development of Bill Committees					31
	Gladstone introduces standing committees					32
	A watershed moment					34
	Select committees and Special Standing Committees					36
	Attempts at programming					37
	Post-1997 reforms					38
	The 2006 reforms					39
	An end to standing committees					40
	Introduction of evidence taking					41
	Public reading stage					43
	From efficient to effective committees?					44
4.	Measuring Committee Impact					45
	Measuring parliamentary impact					46
	The viscosity of the process					47
	Measuring committee impact					49
	Formal indicators of viscosity in committee					50
	How many bills are amended?					52
	How many amendments are made?					53
	Success of government amendments					53
	Government defeats in committee					55
	Success of non-government amendments					57
	What do amendments actually change?					59
	The Hunting Bill 2002--03					61
	Explaining low viscosity in bill committees					64
	Strong committee discipline					64
	Ministerial reluctance to accept amendments					66
	Alternative means of constraint					67
	Overwhelming compliance					67
5.	The Other Side of Committee Work					69
	Indicators of viscosity					69
	Indicators at committee stage					70
	Changes made elsewhere					71
	Commitments to reconsider amendments					71
	Commitments to table amendments at report stage					71
	Compromises					71
	Indicators at report stage					72
	Ministerial undertakings in committee					73
	Between committee stage and report					75
	Committee influence at report stage					80
	The content of report stage amendments					81
	Other changes at report stage					83
	NHS Redress [HL] Bill					84
	Why is committee impact greater at report stage?					86
	Maximising policy impact					89
	Committee impact in the House of Lords					91
	The full picture of committee scrutiny					92
6.	Engaging with Experts					94
	Initial impressions					94
	Who gives evidence?					97
	A scrutiny weapon					100
	Informing members					101
	Probing amendments					102
	Use of evidence in committee					103
	Agenda setting					104
	Amendment supporting					104
	Amendment drafting					105
	Trailing amendments					107
	Formal impact of evidence taking					108
	Evidence taking and ministerial undertakings					110
	The Health and Social Care Bill (2007--08)					111
	Expected patterns of scrutiny behaviour					112
	An opposition tool					115
	Impact at report stage					116
	An imperfect process					117
7.	Evaluating Bill Committees					119
	Capacity and reality					120
	Changing expectations					121
	Interrupting the flow of government legislation					122
	Maximising committee impact					125
	A very British method of scrutiny					126
	Note on Sample of Bills					128
	Notes					133
	References					134
	Index					139