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Constitution

• To best advance and further public education in the art or science of government through Parliament (including the working of Parliament and Parliamentary institutions) or other branches of political science;
• To best advance and further the study of and research into methods of government through Parliament (including the working of Parliament and Parliamentary institutions) or other branches of political science, in and for the benefit of the community as a whole, and to publish the results of such study and research;
• to best advance public education in forms of parliamentary government and representative assemblies (whether or not such forms shall be actual or theoretical).

The Group is a Registered Charity, No. 251208

Although its findings are published, the Group's meetings are usually private.

Membership falls into three categories:

1. past and present staff of universities and other academic or research institutions;
2. past and present officials of the two Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Presiding Office of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly; and
3. other persons having a serious and proven interest in the objects of the Group, not being members of either House of Parliament when first elected to membership.

Candidates are proposed by existing members, and their applications are considered by the Executive Committee and then put to a full meeting of the Group (normally in January) for approval. Initial inquiries, preferably accompanied by details of work done in the areas of the Group's interests (see above) should be addressed to:

• categories 1 and 3: Alexandra Kelso (a.kelsosoton.ac.uk)
• category 2: Judy Goodall (goodalljparliament.uk).

The current annual subscription is £25: this will be asked for if and when the application has been successful.

Activities

The main work of the Group is to examine particular subjects within its remit, usually by means of a small "Study Group" of around a dozen members (occasionally adding one or two non-members). These then plan a programme of work, sometimes involving original research, and present their findings either as a book, an article, or sometimes a submission to a Parliamentary committee. The Publications pages show the types of subjects which have been studied. They are divided into Books, Articles and Evidence to Committees.

In addition, the Group holds occasional meetings in Parliament or elsewhere with visiting speakers and invited guests.

History

In 1985 the Group published a short History entitled The Study of Parliament Group: The First Twenty-one Years, by Dermot Englefield. You can read it here (except for the Appendices).