Preparing for the new Parliamentary Session – Tips from the Whips
In May Parliament will begin a new parliamentary session, commencing with the Queen’s Speech and the announcement of a new legislative programme.
This workshop will ensure you feel equipped to deal with legislation, whether primary or secondary, and help you to think more innovatively about how you engage with government and parliamentarians and how and when to bring pressure to bear.
You’ll also learn how to predict when legislation will be introduced and when it will come into force, providing your organisation with advance warning and more time to prepare.
At the end of the workshop, delegates will work with a range of case studies and use what they have learned to construct the ideal campaign to influence legislation.
Drawing particularly on my experience in the Opposition Whips Office, this highly interactive workshop is suitable for public affairs practitioners at all levels. The workshop will cover:
From idea to Bill
- What happens behind the scenes;
- Who gets involved within government;
- How long it takes for a Bill to become a reality;
- Understanding the limits and possibilities of the consultation process.
The difference between the Lords and Commons
- o Procedural and stylistic differences;
- o Implications of where a Bill starts;
- o Tactics specific to each chamber.
Influencing legislation
- The different stages of legislation;
- Preparing for second reading;
- Making use of the Committee stage;
- The best way to introduce amendments;
- Preparing for transition to the other chamber.
Secondary legislation
- Understanding statutory instruments and what’s possible.
Preparing for impact
- Predicting when legislation will be introduced, progress, and pass;
- Predicting when measures will come into force.
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About Nikki da Costa
Nikki da Costa runs a training and mentoring business focused specifically on the public affairs sector. Her aim is to help others achieve success with less struggle – to offer tailored support from a practicing industry-respected senior consultant, which delivers real value.
Nikki combines parliamentary experience (Special Adviser to the Conservative Chief Whip), in-house expertise (AQA, Serco), and insights from agency life (former Managing Director of Bellenden Public Affairs, one of the fastest growing public affairs agencies). In 2013 she was recognised by Management Today as one of the ‘Top 35 Women under 35’. Nikki has built on this by training with the CIPD and the Coaching Academy.