A lay member commonly refers to someone who serves on the board or panel of an organisation in order to enhance its governance by acting as an advocate for public interest.
W HAT I S A L AY M E M B E R ?
What is a Lay Member?
Lay members are a key component of professional regulatory bodies and the demand for such a component has in recent times surpassed the public sphere and crept into the realm of politics. The adoption of lay members in various parliamentary systems is a phenomenon that is very complex by nature. The rationale for the inclusion of lay members into parliamentary systems may vary depending on the needs of the respective parliament, and in turn, the responsibilities attributed to lay members at the discretion of the parliament, too, vary. Therefore, in essence, there is no single concrete definition ascribed to a lay member in the broader parliamentary context. However, in agreement with the definition applicable to the wider society and in accordance with the analysis of a select few parliamentary case studies (referenced throughout this handbook);
“A lay member in the parliamentary context can be described as a member of the public (not considered a Member of Parliament), invited to sit on a committee, board, commission or other unit within the parliamentary system in order to bring an independent and external perspective to deliberations.” Non-Elected Members and Representatives The concept of having a non-elected representative serving within a parliament dates as far back as the 19th century with the presence of ex-officio persons in the chambers of colonial governments. The term ex-officio is a Latin word, which directly translates to “from the office,” meaning a member who is a part of a body by virtue of another office or position they hold. In many UK Overseas Territories and small jurisdictions, it was proclaimed in their constitutions that ex-officio members must exist within the parliamentary system. In the 1976 Constitution of the Anguilla House of Assembly, for example, twenty three percent of the House was declared ex-officio. The Executive Council was fifty percent non-elected. In this case, one notable motivation for the adoption of these
HANDBOOK ON LAY MEMBERS
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