Parliament and your campaign

This session will cover:

A brief recap of Parliament’s role MPs and Members of the House of Lords What MPs and Lords can do in Parliament Draft Bills, Private Members’ Bills and

Government Bills

A service from the Houses of Parliament

Politically neutral

Aim is to increase knowledge and engagement with work and processes of Parliament

Not an alternative to MPs

House of Commons

House of Lords

The Monarch

Conservative - 303

Labour - 255

Lib Dem - 57

DUP - 8

SNP - 6

Sinn Fein - 5

Plaid Cymru - 3

SDLP - 3

Green - 1

Respect - 1

Alliance - 1

Independent - 3

Speaker - 1

Deputy Speakers - 3

Makes and passes laws(Legislation)

Holds Government to account

Enables the Government to set taxes

Your MP’s contact details will be available via the Parliament website: www.parliament.uk

You can also find them by calling 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

Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury

The second Chamber, also known as the revising House

No party, or combination of parties has an overall majority in the House of Lords

There are 179 Cross-Benchers in the Lords, who are independent of party

There are 811 members of whom 762 are eligible:◦645 are Life Peers◦92 are Hereditary Peers◦25 are C of E Bishops

Members of the House of Lords do not have constituencies, so in theory, you can contact any member

You will want to identify Members of the Lords who will support your campaign

Biographies of all Members of the Lords are available at www.parliament.uk

Hansard – the official report of proceedings in the Lords – is a good place to look for examples of Peers’ interests and causes

The 10 Downing Street website has a full list of all Government Ministers

There are links to each Department’s website, which give details of Ministers with their specific responsibilities

www.number10.gov.uk

Can be used to:

Obtain information – stats, policies, positions

Press for action Raise constituency

issues Challenge Government

policy

Must have factual basis and relate to the running of a Government Department

Opposition day debates Adjournment debates

(HoC) Back-Bench business

debates (HoC) Questions for Short

Debate (HoL)Allows MPs and Members of

the HoL to: Raise constituency issues

or matters of regional, national or international significance

Get the issue to the attention of a relevant minister

Set up to scrutinise specific areas of work and government departments

Work carried out through public inquiries

Groups and individuals submit evidence to inquiries

Inquiry report created and usually passed to relevant government department

You can contact the staff of Select Committees directly You can ask them about forthcoming or planned inquiries You can suggest areas that the Committee might like to

look into If an inquiry is taking place, you can contact Committee

staff for advice on preparing written evidence If you are called to give oral evidence, you can contact

Committee staff for help to prepare Select Committees can do follow-up inquiries after the

Government have responded to their reports

Green Papers: general discussion documents produced when Government is considering a new law

White Papers: produced by the Government with details of future policy on a particular subject –very close to what will be in a Bill

They have no legal force Consultations may be carried out

on both Parliament will conduct pre-

legislative scrutiny of any draft Bill

The Government publishes some Bills in draft form before they are introduced formally in Parliament

They receive pre-legislative scrutiny in Parliament

The draft Bill will be considered either by an existing Select Committee or a specially convened ad hoc Committee

All legislation proposed by the Government must be scrutinised by both Houses of Parliament

Each Bill goes through the same stages in each House - First Reading, Second Reading, Committee, Report, Third Reading – before it reaches Royal Assent

Members can suggest changes (“amendments”) at particular stages

Much of the most careful scrutiny goes on in Committee, particularly in the House of Lords

Bill is introduced to the House; a formality

First opportunity for debate of the main principles of the Bill. Vote on whether the Bills proceeds

Amendments can be proposed. Detailed examination of the Bill in a Public Bill Committee (knives may be used)

Further amendment to the content of the Bill. All MPs may speak and vote; Speaker selects amendments for discussion

Final chance for the Commons to debate the contents of a Bill, but no amendments. Vote on whether the Bill is approved

Bill is introduced to the House; a formality

First opportunity for debate of the main principles of the Bill. List of Speakers is opened. Vote on whether the Bills proceeds

Amendments can be proposed. Detailed examination of the Bill in a Committee of the Whole House (any Member). No time limit.

Further line by line consideration of the Bill. All amendments can be discussed and any Member can take part.

Final chance to debate and change the Bill. Amendments can be made. Vote on whether the Bill is approved

‘Ping-pong’ . Both Houses must agree on the exact wording of a Bill before it can become an Act of Parliament

Monarch's agreement to make the Bill into an Act and is a formality. When Royal Assent has been given, the announcement is usually made in both Houses by the Lord Speaker in the Lords and the Speaker in the Commons

MPs and Lords can introduce their own Bills In the Commons, MPs can bring in a Bill through

the 10-minute rule MPs can also enter the Private Members Bill ballot

every session If they are in the first 20 or so names, their Bill

we be given debating time on a sitting Friday Members of both Houses can also simply present

new Bills, but they are not guaranteed any debating time

Cross-party Both MPs and Members of the House of

Lords Based around common interest (e.g.

Housing and care for older people, motor neurone disease, football) or countries of the world

Not involved in formal decision making, but important in developing knowledge

Allows MPs to show their opinion on a particular subject

www.parliament.uk

020 7219 4272 – Commons information

020 7219 3107 – Lords information

Scrutiny Unit - 020 7219 8381; scrutiny@parliament.uk

Select Committees – contact details are on the Committees own homepage at www.parliament.uk

Contact details for any MP or Peer can be obtained at the Parliament homepage or through the House information lines