Parliament plays a crucial role in holding regulators to account, but MPs and peers struggle to scrutinise them in a systematic way. This report sets out how select committees can perform this important task more effectively, underpinned by a realistic assessment of parliament’s capacity.

Private offices provide essential assistance to ministers. But some struggle to recruit and retain experienced staff, and fail to deliver the support ministers need to achieve their aims in government. This report sets out how the civil service can improve private offices to ensure that every minister is supported capably.