Parliament
Kate AndersonSeptember 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
The Queen
The House of Lords
The House of Commons
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
Parliament (Westminster)
• Commons, Lords and Monarch
• holds Government to account
• passes laws
Government (Whitehall)
• some MPs and some Lords, chosen by the Prime Minister
• runs Government departments and public services
• 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
Where to start: your MP
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
• 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
Peers
Where can I get information?
• www.parliament.uk and @UKParliament
• Commons Information Office020 7219 4272 [email protected]
• Lords Information Office020 7219 3107 [email protected]
• Parliament’s Outreach Service020 7219 [email protected]