United Kingdom's Parliamentary Administration

This chapter provides a brief overview of the structural framework within which the parliamentary administration of the UK Parliament operates, and then focuses on its governance structures and how these have developed over time. Supporting each House Commission is a set of “domestic committees”-so-called because they deal not with matters “external” to Parliament but rather cover particular areas of House administration, such as finance, services and audit. These committees consist of parliamentarians, who advise the Commission on the matters within their remit. Developments in recent years have led to the establishment of departments or organisations which are technically independent of the House of Commons Service or House of Lords administration, but part of the wider governance of the institution. The chapter ends with staff and their functions, and how they support parliamentarians’ work.