Principal non-political officers

Although the political officers are the better known faces of Parliament, its administrative officers are equally important and key, not only to how both houses are managed, but also to the support given to Members and parliamentary business.

Key principal officers in the House of Commons include the Speaker, the Deputy Speakers, and the Clerk of the House. In the House of Lords they include the Lord Speaker and the Clerk of the Parliaments. Their work is supported by respective domestic committees and management boards, as explained here for the Commons and here for the Lords.

The Governance of Parliament

The governance of the House of Commons is led by its Commission, with the support of its Executive Committee and management Board. Likewise, although self-regulated, the Lords are also led by their Commission and the  Management Board.

You can listen to a lecture from former Clerk of the House Robert Rogers here, giving an insight into the workings of the House of Commons and the specificity of its governance; note that this pre-dates the changes that followed the 2014 Governance Committee report. You can read the oral evidence given by Rogers to the Governance Committee here.

Likewise, you can listen to a lecture from former Clerk of the Parliaments David Beamish here, giving an insight into the workings of the House of Lords and the specificity of its governance; likewise, this lecture pre-dates a review of the Lords’ Governance in 2016.