‘Worth a punt!’ was what one of my PhD supervisors said after forwarding me an email about the PSA-Parliament internship. While I was already aware of the opportunity, my PhD commitments had until then pushed the thought of applying to the back of both my mind and my ever-growing to-do list. When I finally took a moment to really consider if a placement within the House of Commons was something that I wanted to pursue, it absolutely was.
My research revolves around policy and the various forces at play which influence it, with a focus on evidence, how it is used, and by whom and for what purpose. As select committees collect evidence and publish their findings in reports which include recommendations to the government, working within one is a great setting for seeing how evidence is tied to the scrutiny component of Parliament. Plus being in the thick of the Parliamentary system and seeing it up-close sounded like an exciting endeavour, especially in the current political climate.
So, in April 2018 I began working as an inquiry manager for the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. The Committee had recently agreed to begin holding one-off sessions on topical policy areas in addition to its main inquiries and my role was to manage these. This involved identifying witnesses that it would be useful for the committee to hear from, planning the structure of the sessions, reviewing evidence submitted to the inquiries, writing briefs and suggested questions for the MPs, and helping ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day.
During the internship, I managed two one-off sessions- one on Scotland’s ATM network and the other on city region deals. The latter was particularly exciting to organise as it featured Ministers of both the UK and Scottish Governments- the Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, and the Scottish Government’s minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse.
I also managed the first evidence session for a long-term inquiry into the future of Scotland’s oil and gas industry. The first session of a full inquiry is particularly important because it helps shape the rest of the inquiry through the topics that it prioritises. It also has to provide the Committee with a good introduction to these topics so that they can be discussed in more depth as the inquiry progresses.
The Committee later ran a session for this inquiry at Aberdeen’s Oil & Gas Technology Centre which I played a part in organising. It was a great experience and a chance to see the day to day lives of the MPs on the Committee up close (unsurprisingly, they have to spend a lot of time in airport waiting lobbies!).
The internship was a challenging experience at times as Select Committees often consist of small numbers of staff who are working on a wide range of issues to tight deadlines. There’s also the inherent uncertainty that comes from working in politics- things sometimes (or depending on the day, often!) do not go as planned and you have to be able to adapt to the changing environment quickly. However, these challenges are exactly the point of an opportunity like this- they are key components of working in Parliament and engaging with and overcoming them is part of what makes the experience so fulfilling. The responsibility of working within a team that has shared objectives was a pleasant change from the PhD process which, even with a strong support network and lots of collaboration, can be secluded at times. A good Committee really does operate as a team and being part of that is one of the most enjoyable parts of the experience.
My time there was also beneficial for my academic development. Preparing briefs and evidence sessions for vast and complex topics which I had no real prior knowledge of required me to quickly grasp the important points and to summarise them efficiently. Overcoming my academic inclination to provide a lengthy and in-depth look at each area came only as a result of the useful feedback from the Committee’s Clerk. This support has helped me adapt my writing for a range of different audiences- an important public engagement skill for academics.
The internship also allowed me to engage with the wider Parliamentary process- attending induction events and Parliamentary procedure classes, shadowing a Hansard staff member, and receiving advanced NVivo training which will certainly come in handy for my PhD research.
The internship exceeded all of my expectations- not only did I gain valuable insight into how Committees fit in to the policy process but I also felt that l was playing a meaningful part in that process. So, if you’re considering applying for a PSA-Parliament internship- it’s most definitely worth a punt!
Allen Gallagher is a PhD student in Health at the University of Bath and a member of the Tobacco Control Research Group(@BathTR) whose project, TobaccoTactics.org, explores how tobacco companies influence policy. He’s also a member of Bath Science in Policy– a group that aims to bring together early-career researchers with an interest in the role of science in policy making. His research focusses on current problems and practices in illicit tobacco trade and their implications for public health. You can find some of it here and Allen himself at @AllenGallagher_.
