Hansard Society to give evidence to Finance Committee's Review of the Budget Process - 13 June 2008

Alex Brazier, joint author of the Hansard Society's 2006 report The Fiscal Maze; Parliament, Government and Public Money will be giving evidence to the Finance Committee's review of the parliamentary budget process on Tuesday June 17.

The Fiscal Maze examined the Westminster Parliament's financial scrutiny and accountability. It investigated:

• Which mechanisms could strengthen Parliament's ability to carry out financial scrutiny?
• What can be done to ensure that this scrutiny work has more of an impact?

Findings and recommendations of The Fiscal Maze were influential on the Westminster Parliament's Liaison Committee Report Parliament and

Government Finance: Recreating Financial Scrutiny (published in April 2008).

The Fiscal Maze; Parliament, Government and Public Money (A. Brazier & V. Ram, July 2006) is available to download.

For further information, contact Virginia Gibbons on 020 7438 1225, 07812 765 552 or mediaprog@hansard.lse.ac.uk

Editors' Notes

• The Hansard Society is the UK's leading independent, non-partisan political research and education charity. We aim to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage greater public involvement in politics
• The Finance Committee launched a review of the Parliament's process for scrutinising the Scottish Government's budget on March 27, 2008
• Alex Brazier is Director of the Hansard Society's Parliament and Government Programme which undertakes research on political and constitutional reform
• Hansard Society Scotland provides an independent and non-partisan platform in Scotland to consider issues relating to the Scottish Parliament and the implications and lessons for other parts of UK parliamentary democracy. The programme includes events and activities to bring together MSPs and staff of the Parliament, political journalists and academics, modern studies teachers, corporate affairs staff in the private and voluntary sector, and others with an interest in parliamentary democracy in Scotland.