Course Introduction

This training course on Parliamentary Procedure is designed for elected Parliamentarians, Clerks and other Parliamentary officials, as well as a wide range of public policy-makers and regulators.  The course covers the fundamentals of Parliamentary practice and procedure, and adds in-depth analysis and discussion of key areas.

It will give special attention to those features of the practice and procedure of Parliament which are fundamental to the rule of law and the separation of powers under any democratic constitution.

This also considers lessons to be drawn from Parliamentary practice and procedure for good governance in a wide range of public authorities, and statutory and commercial corporations.

This Oxford Management Centre training course will highlight:

• The fundamentals of what Parliaments do and how they work
• The purposes of Parliamentary procedure
• Rules and principles of Parliamentary procedure and practice
• Standing Orders and Rules of Order for Plenary and Committee meetings
• Motions and amendments
• Voting methods and Parliamentary privilege
• Codes of conduct and standards in public life

Objectives

At the end of this  training course, you will be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of how a Parliament or other legislative assembly should work
• Articulate the core purposes of Parliamentary procedure
• Develop best practice for Parliamentary procedure and practice
• Understand standard terms
• Navigate Standing Orders and Rules of Order for Plenary and Committee meetings
• Handle business including motions and amendments
• Discuss options for voting methods
• Understand the parameters of Parliamentary privilege
• Understand and develop codes of conduct and standards in public life

Training Methodology

A highly interactive course, where delegates will be encouraged to engage and participate, sharing experiences and establishing best practice from comparative analysis of different jurisdictional practice.

This training course will use a range of approaches to learning, including experiential group activities, individual exercises, case studies and syndicate discussions.

Organisational Impact

This Oxford training course—

• is of direct relevance to Parliaments and other legislative assemblies
• is of applied relevance to a wide range of governmental and other public sector organisations (including regulators)
• is designed to be of use to statutory corporations and public commercial organisations, for internal governance and public affairs advocacy
• supports Parliamentary and other authorities in maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of plenary sessions
• supports Parliamentary and other authorities in maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of Committee meetings
• addresses the purpose and process of Committee inquiries

Personal Impact

This training program will benefit participants by—

• Enhancing awareness of best practice for Parliamentary meetings
• Enhancing awareness of best practice for Committee inquiries
• Acquiring techniques for operating and controlling Parliamentary meetings
• Acquiring techniques for operating and controlling Committee inquiries
• Understanding plenary procedure, including governance and participation techniques
• Understanding Committee procedure, including governance and participation techniques

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed to be of direct benefit for elected Parliamentarians, Clerks and other Parliamentary officials, as well as a wide range of public policy-makers and regulators.  Through inter-active teaching methodology it aims to provide an effective introduction for inexperienced Members or officials, while adding value (particularly from a comparative international perspective) for those of considerable experience.

The governance components of the course will be of particular interest to—

• Parliament and Assembly Members and Representatives
• Parliament and Assembly Clerks, Secretaries and other staff
• Public Authority and Corporate Governance Officers
• Committee Chairs and Clerks

Course Outline

DAY 1

Parliamentary Fundamentals

• Constitutional balance of power
• The role and nature of Parliament
• Formation of Parliaments
• Structure of Parliaments
• Roles and Responsibilities of a Parliament
• Governance principles in public and private institutions
• Standing Orders and other Rules of Order
  

DAY 2  

Parliamentary Procedure Primer

• Nature of Parliamentary Procedure
• Purpose of Parliamentary Procedure
• Basic Rules and Principles of Parliamentary Procedure
• Plenary and Committee procedure
• Standard Terms

DAY 3  

Meetings

• Types of Meetings
• Order of Business: The Agenda
• Quorum of Members
• Motions
• Process for handling a Motion
• Voting / Voting Methods
• Minutes
  

DAY 4  

Motions 

• General Classification of Motions
• Main Motions
• Subsidiary Motions
• Privileged Motions
• Incidental Motions
• Order of Motions
• Amendment of Motions
  

DAY 5  

Structure and Leadership 

• Officers
• Qualifications of Officers
• Duties of Officers
• Nominations and Elections
• Committees
• Conduct Rules and Standards in Public Life