Hoping to gain some practical experience in policy to complement my doctoral studies, I decided to apply to the PSA/House of Commons Committee Office internship programme. A large part of my doctoral research consists of analysing government policy in a British context, so the chance to work for a select committee and witness government scrutiny first-hand seemed opportune.
I was based with the Welsh Affairs Select Committee between January and May 2018. During this time, I managed an inquiry into prison provision in Wales– a subject with which I was initially unfamiliar, but one in which I found that I was able to build up a specialised knowledge through research and analysing written evidence. Surprisingly, I found that there were many crossovers between my own research, which focuses on gendered policies, and the inquiry I was managing: there are currently no women’s prisons in Wales, so cross-border issues and questions around the potential for new prisons in Wales ultimately had gendered implications.
Working as an inquiry manager was a research-intensive role. My responsibilities ranged from identifying and liaising with witnesses, producing briefing materials for the Committee, and analysing both written and oral evidence – all key responsibilities which strongly aided my academic research. Though there were undoubtedly many differences between my doctoral thesis and the material I produced for the Committee, I found that my writing skills nonetheless improved overall. In particular, I improved at taking what was often technical information and transforming it into accessible material for a lay audience – something that I feel should be used more widely in academia.
As part of the inquiry process, Committees will often participate in visits – either as a means of gathering further evidence, or purely to gain background information on a topic. Accordingly, part of my role consisted of organising Committee visits to prisons across Wales, where we were able to hold discussion groups with prisoners, as well as examine the conditions in which they were held. In many ways, this provided a ‘human side’ to the policy process: visiting prisons meant that we could speak with those that would be directly affected by potential policies and hear their views.
The Welsh Affairs Committee is a relatively small team with a broad remit, and the fact that there were multiple ongoing inquiries meant our workload was often demanding. In addition to the inquiry on prison provision, I contributed to the production of reports pertaining to other topics, such as the cancellation of rail electrification in South Wales. This allowed me to develop a knowledge base on a range of policy areas, and consequently enhanced my understanding of devolved politics more widely.
One key highlight of my time in Westminster was organising a bilingual evidence session, so that witnesses could provide oral evidence in Welsh. Bilingual sessions are an innovative way of making Parliament more inclusive and accessible to the public. We were able to hire an interpreter, which meant that we could hear evidence translated from Welsh to English simultaneously through headphones. I found it fascinating to watch some Members ask questions in English and receive answers in Welsh!
Being based in Westminster meant that I had the opportunity to experience, and engage with, parliamentary culture. I was fortunate enough to obtain tickets to Prime Minister’s Questions and had the chance to attend various debates. My placement was also timely: working in Parliament during the women’s suffrage centenary meant that I was able to participate in many of the celebratory events that Parliament had to offer. Watching the unveiling of the Millicent Fawcett statue in Parliament Square and seeing Parliament’s display of the Representation of the People Act 1918 was emblematic of how far the fight for women’s rights has come since (some) women won the right to vote – although, at the same time, served as a stark reminder that there is still much more progress to be achieved.
Overall, my time at the House of Commons gave me a much deeper insight into the policy process. I was able to witness how committees operate – from the launch of an inquiry, right through to the report consideration stage. Through this experience, I found that there were idiosyncrasies within the scrutiny process that I would otherwise be unable to learn through academic study. I found the internship to be highly rewarding, and the skills that I accrued in this role have aided my research immensely. Undertaking the internship was a really enjoyable experience, and I would strongly encourage others to apply.
Applications for the PSA-Parliament PhD Internship are open until 21 September 2018. Read more about the internship and how to apply here.
Anna Sanders is a PhD student in Politics at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on gendered policies and women’s voting behaviour in Britain. She tweets at @AnnSan_1.
Image: Paul Hudson
