National Assembly’s deputy Clerk takes part in UK House of Commons Parliament Study Programme 2023 |12 July 2023
The deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Alexandria Faure, has participated in a selective study programme offered by the Inter-parliamentary Relations Office (IPRO) of the United Kingdom Parliament.
The programme began in January 2023 and included online sessions that covered topics such as an introduction to Westminster, logistics of Chamber business, scrutiny in Parliament, engagement and Parliamentary outreach, as well as UK Parliamentary culture.
The study programme was organised by David Hirst, Karen Georgiou, and Lisa Stead.
Participants were from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Kenya, Anguilla, Japan, The Netherlands, and Seychelles.
The study programme culminated in a five-day visit to Westminster, from Monday, June 26 to Friday June 30, 2023, where all eight participating senior parliamentary officials were given an opportunity to establish professional links, discuss and exchange valuable information, and tour both Houses of the UK Parliament.
An exclusive and notable moment of the visit was the meeting of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP.
Other key moments included meeting the Sergeant at Arms, Ugbana Oyet, observing the Speaker’s Procession into the Chamber of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and observing the Prime Minister’s Questions from the Public Gallery.
This also included observing a session of the House of Lords from the Public Gallery, tour of the restoration and renewal projects being undertaken within the Palace of Westminster, among many other informative and educational sessions undertaken throughout the five-day period.
The programme concluded with a seminar in which each participant gave a brief presentation on a topic of their choice.
Educational programmes and information exchanges such as this are crucial for parliaments all over the world to effectively carry out their duties.
They enable staff and officials to stay updated on legislative developments, policy initiatives, and best practices, while also offering a sense of empowerment to parliamentary staff to continually provide a high standard of service and to foster transparent, accountable parliamentary processes.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of Ms Faure’s participation in the study programme.
Contributed
Photos: ‘UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor’
