MAKING
THE
COMMONS
MORE
OPEN
TO
PUBLIC
AND
PRESS
52. The measures proposed in this paper will
create a Commons more effective at scrutiny and more representative
to modern society. However, these steps in themselves will not
restore public respect for Parliament unless Parliament does more
to make its proceedings more readily accessible to the public.
Too often there is an assumption that because the work of Parliament
is important, its reporting can be taken for granted. The reality
is that Parliament is engaged in a highly competitive market for
media coverage and public attention. We need a communications
strategy that will convey the significance, the success and excitement
of what goes on in the chamber and in committee.
53. The potential for projection of the work
of Parliament is immense, but is largely unrealised. A communication
strategy to realise that potential would need to address a number
of different audiences.
Press lobby
54. The Commons is covered by its own dedicated
press corps. There will always be a healthy competition between
parties for the angle from which political debate is reported,
but the Commons as a whole has a common interest in assisting
the press lobby in getting their editors to carry more coverage
of parliamentary proceedings. The Commons should examine how it
can widen the coverage of Parliament. Why should written answers
not be released until 3.30pm and often not until much later? Would
they not have a better chance of being covered if they were released
by noon?
The reading public
55. Select committee reports often contain interesting,
sometimes dramatic, substance. They are presented in a uniform,
old-fashioned format.. They appear obsolete in the age of computer
graphics, and colour printing. If we seriously want to interest
the public in the conclusions of our select committees we have
an obligation to make their publications more attractive and inviting.
The wired-up public
56. Britain has one of the highest rates of access
to the internet including every lobby group and most NGOs. This
is a large and influential audience to whom the Commons could
do more to make itself accessible. The Commons has a wide range
of websites, but webstreaming of committee hearings is still in
its experimental phase. It should be routine for live coverage
of public committee sittings to be available through the internet.
The visiting public
57. There is a large number of British citizens
who visit Parliament every year. But for the overwhelming majority
of them the experience focuses on architecture and history. There
is an immense opportunity here for interpretation of the work
and role of Parliament today. In February 2002 a visitors' café,
including some interpretative material, will be opening. A dedicated
Visitor Centre could put the building and its history in the context
of Parliament's place in the constitution and its importance as
the expression of our democracy.
The future voters
58. The strength of our democracy will based
on the roots we establish for it in the minds of our young people.
The Commons has developed an educational service in response to
the demand by schools. The logical extension of this role would
be a pro-active education service promoting Parliament to each
new generation of schoolchildren. For instance, when the House
does not sit on a Friday, these could become school visit days
when the Commons could invite schoolchildren to Parliament on
a rolling programme by constituencies or educational authorities.
WHAT
NEXT?
59. This paper is provided as a basis for consultation
in order that the Modernisation Committee can assess the will
of the House on reform. The task for the Modernisation Committee,
in co-ordination with the Procedure Committee, the Liaison Committee
and the Information Committee, will be to turn the response of
Members into proposals on which the House can reach formal decisions.
60. This is an ambitious programme, but it does
not pretend to be comprehensive. There are other issues which
may be addressed over the lifetime of the Parliament. For instance,
scrutiny by the Commons of European Legislation is currently under
review by the European Scrutiny Committee, and the Modernisation
Committee may wish to examine this area after the Scrutiny Committee
has completed its report.
61. This modernisation package would bring several
wide-ranging benefits, to Members, to their constituents and to
their families.
- The Commons will have an earlier opportunity
for scrutiny of draft legislation.
- There will be less pressure to rush legislation
and more time to test Bills more thoroughly.
- The Commons will make more use of the first half
of the working day and will have more opportunity to set the daily
agenda of public debate.
- Providing more predictability of the parliamentary
calendar will make it less difficult for Members to fulfil their
family and constituency commitments.
- Increasing the number of constituency Fridays
will free Members to undertake more activities in their constituencies.
- Breaking up the long recess will remove the protracted
period in which Parliament is unable to debate political developments.
62. A democratic chamber can only achieve reform
through the consent of a broad majority of its Members. Not every
Member will support all of these proposals. The test of their
acceptability will be whether most Members of the House, whether
backbenchers or frontbenchers, find they can welcome the overall
proposals as a balanced package.
63. The greatest gain will be to democracy. There
are many factors which have contributed to the decline in turnout
at the General Elections, but one of them has been the long term
decline in esteem for Parliament. We will only restore esteem
for Parliament when we convince the public that the Commons is
effective in its scrutiny of Government and legislation, and is
efficient in its use of Members time. It is that verdict of the
public that must be the spur to reform of the Commons and the
ultimate test of its success.
December 2001 ROBIN
COOK
