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Parliament. Kate Anderson September 2014. Parliament’s Outreach Service. a free service from the Houses of Parliament politically neutral aims to increase knowledge and engagement with work and processes of Parliament. Objectives. By the end of this presentation, you will know:
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Parliament Kate Anderson September 2014
Parliament’s Outreach Service • a free service from the Houses of Parliament • politically neutral • aims to increase knowledge and engagement with work and processes of Parliament
Objectives By the end of this presentation, you will know: • what Parliament is • what Parliament does and why it is important • the difference between Parliament and Government • how to find out more
What is Parliament? House of Commons House of Lords The Monarch The Queen
What does Parliament do? Makes and passes laws (Legislation) Holds Government to account Enables the Government to set taxes
The Government • the party with (usually) the majority of seats in the House of Commons forms the Government • the Government: • runs public departments (e.g. Home Office) • suggests new laws to Parliament • is accountable to Parliament
Government (Whitehall) Parliament (Westminster) • Commons, Lords and Monarch • holds Government to account • passes laws • some MPs and some Lords, chosen by the Prime Minister • runs Government departments and public services
Where to start: your MP • Your MP’s contact details will be on the Parliament website: www.parliament.uk • You can call the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272 • Or at your town hall or local library • Many MPs will have a contact address and number in the constituency
All-Party Groups • informal cross-party groups on many different subjects, e.g. • Youth Affairs • Asthma • Football • APGs, sometimes called APPGs, are a useful way to identify MPs/Lords with an interest in a certain issue
Peers • Members of the House of Lords do not have constituencies, so in theory, you can contact any member • Identify Peers who will support your campaign • Biographies of all Peers are available at www.parliament.uk • Hansard is a good place to look for examples of Peers’ interests and causes
Where can I get information? • www.parliament.uk and @UKParliament • Commons Information Office 020 7219 4272 hcinfo@parliament.uk • Lords Information Office 020 7219 3107 hlinfo@parliament.uk • Parliament’s Outreach Service 020 7219 1650 parliamentaryoutreach@parliament.uk