Parliamentary Committee Witnesses: Representation and Diversity

Issues of diversity in elected bodies have received considerable attention in recent years, in particular with regard to the characteristics of elected representatives. This article explores a rather different dimension relating to representation and diversity, the witnesses that appear before parliamentary committees in their scrutiny of government actions and legislation. It draws on Pitkin and Saward’s conceptions of representation and the case of witnesses who provide oral witnesses to the Scottish Parliament’s committees. The article suggests that the application of such ideas to the selection and characteristics of witnesses, and in particular to the views expressed by MSPs and parliamentary officials, is helpful in highlighting the different understandings of and aspirations for ‘representation’, including the variety of perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of these.