Parliament and Research

Birkbeck University

October 2015

@UKParlOutreach

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

@UKParlOutreach

Session objectives

By the end of this session, you will know:

• what Parliament is• what Parliament does• the ways your research could be used at

Parliament• how to present your research effectively at

Parliament

@UKParlOutreach

What is Parliament?House of Commons House of Lords

The Monarch

The core tasks of Parliament

Makes and passes laws(Legislation)

Holds Government to account

Enables the Government to set taxes

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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

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

• You can find information there on your MP’s past speeches and areas of interest

• Write letter/e-mail to your MP to introduce your concerns

• You can also call the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272

Contacting your MP

• You can call the House of Lords Information Office on 020 7219 3107

• Identify Peers who will support your campaign

• Biographies of all Peers are available at www.parliament.uk

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

Contacting Members of the Lords

Passage of a Bill

Key Bills this session

• EU Referendum Bill• Full Employment and Welfare

Benefits Bill• National Insurance Contributions and

Finance Bill• Childcare Bill• Housing Bill• Immigration Bill

Select Committees

• Scrutinise specific areas of work and Government Departments

• Groups and individuals can submit evidence to inquiries

• Relevant Government Department must respond to the reports they produce

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Key points

• Committees choose own subjects• Inquiries are based on evidence

received• Programmes are flexible• No checklists or templates• Different outputs• Independence of staff

Tasks of Select Committees

• Examine Government policy proposals and deficiencies

• Examine department’s actions and administration

• Monitor associated public bodies• Scrutinise major appointments• Scrutinise draft bills• Examine the implementation of

legislation

The inquiry process

4. Report publication

5. Government reply

3. Report preparation

1. Inquiry initiation

2. Evidence gathering

Choosing subjects

• Member preference• Topical/media/pressure groups• Fulfilment of core tasks• Staff input

– Scoping– Terms of reference

Modes of working

• Discuss informally• Hear oral evidence• Ask for written evidence• Go on visits – UK and overseas• Produce reports &

recommendations• (Set up sub-committees)

Sources of information

COMMITTEE

STAKEHOLDERSWITNESSES

Members’knowledg

e

Scrutiny Unit

National Audit Office

Specialist advisers

Library

Media

POST

All-Party Parliamentary Groups

• Cross-party• MPs and Members

of the House of Lords

• Based around common interest

Not involved in formal decision making

Questions?

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How does Parliament use research?

• House of Commons Library• House of Lords Library • Parliamentary Office of Science and

Technology (POST)• House of Commons Select Committees• House of Lords Select Committees• Public Bill Committees

Parliament and academia: how MPs access and use research

Introduction:

• David Hough:– Enquiry Executive,

Commons Library – Science & Environment – Economic Policy &

Statistics– Department of Finance

• Researcher• 7 years experience in

Parliament• 22 years senior manager,

British Gas• 10 years director economic

consultancy

Why well-informed parliamentarians?

• Hold Government to account – scrutinise Government departments’ work- based on good evidence

• Suggest and scrutinise legislation

• Represent constituents

• Pursue ‘issues’

Who don’t we work for? Balancing the briefing

Library and Committee staff work for backbench and opposition MPs. Ministers have hundreds of civil servants behind them.

Front-bench spokespeople do not serve on Committees (by convention)

Sources of information ...

• The Libraries• POST• Select Committees

• Lobbyists• All-Party Groups• Constituents• MPs’ own researchers• Party ‘machine’ • Government via PQs

The Commons Library Research Service

• For Commons Members (not Peers, and not ex-Members!)• For all parties• 60 subject specialists, 8 subject areas• Science & Environment Section =

– 8 scientists, one medic and one economist (6 FTE)– 3 resource staff (information professionals, admin staff)

What is our work used for?

• Opposition Front Bench team• Hold Government to account• Backbenchers –

– Scrutinising legislation– Debates (debate packs)– Media appearances– Constituents, surgeries– Specialist interests

• Select Committees• Other Parliaments’ Members

Main ‘outputs’

• Confidential briefings for MPs; 250 a month

• 70% of all MPs commission work from SES

• Publish 100+ ‘briefing notes' on internet each year

• Twice weekly ‘current awareness’ email to over 100 subscribers

• Personal briefings – e.g. new Opposition spokespersons

• Library Briefing Papers

When is academic and scientific research useful?

• Nuclear technologies• Climate change• Energy storage technology• Biomass• Fracking and shale gas• Energy market competition• Oil and gas enhanced

recovery • Energy efficiency• Fuel poverty

Engaging with the Library

• Keep in touch with individual Library Specialists – let them know about research developments

• Follow the Library or SES on Twitter @CommonsSES

• Research Council funded internships in the future.

• Specialists can be a conduit for getting information to policy makers

• Library and Committee staff are now co-located – a big group of specialists

What is POST?

• An office of both Houses of Parliament providing MPs and peers with balanced and independent analysis of public policy issues that have a basis in science and technology

Scientists in Parliament?

• Much of what Parliament does has a science basis• Most parliamentarians are not scientists• So parliament employs scientists to assist MPs and Peers• POST is one of Parliament’s sources of information on S&T-

related issues

What POST does

• POST is funded by Parliament to provide impartial information on S&T issues

• Do this by publishing:• POST notes: 4 pages, (~30 per year);• reports, up to 100 pages (1 per year);• these aim to be balanced, timely,

comprehensive & relevant• Assist select committees on S&T related

inquiries• Organise parliamentary events and seminars• Other science communication (run fellowship

schemes, liaise with UK science community)

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology: POSTNotes http://www.parliament.uk/post

• Each note takes 3-4 months• Interviews with around 15 experts• Examples of notes:

422 - Mental Health and the Workplace421 - Measuring Wellbeing 420 - Advanced Manufacturing419 - Water Resource Resilience 418 - Balancing Nature and Agriculture417 - Energy Use Behaviour Change

Further information contacts

• www.parliament.uk• www.parliament.uk/ecc • http://www.parliament.uk/mp

s-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/commonslibrary/

• http://www.parliament.uk/post

• http://commonslibraryblog.com/

– Twitter: @CommonsSES – @commonslibrary – @UKParliament

Or get in touch:• houghd@parliament.uk