Paper from Hansard Society
The following submission is based on research
and project work carried out by the Hansard Society, and
reflects our core beliefs of promoting democracy and strengthening
Parliament over the past 60 years.
1. COMMUNICATION
Press strategy: Parliament as an institution
is not effective at communicating its work and needs to develop
a more coordinated approach to its press activity. We would encourage
greater resources to be put towards press work, including developing
and increasing the use of press officers. Advance notice of debates
of public interest and better co-ordination of committee report
releases would be helpful. Targeted work to specialist trade publications
should be encouraged wherever possible. The relationship between
Parliament and the media is complicated; a fact that has led the
Hansard Society to launch a commission, Parliament in
the Public Eye, which is due to report early in 2005.
Website: The parliamentary website contains
a huge amount of complex information but in its present format
is not a user-friendly resource. It is confusing even to those
who are familiar with it. The parliamentary website should be
evaluated by an independent assessor to audit its accessibility
and make recommendations for change, including Web Accessibility
Initiative (WAI) compliance.
Standardisation of MPs contact details: MPs
should be encouraged to use a standardised email address that
could be publicised. Although there are logistical difficulties
in encouraging the use of email, it is a mode of communication
that people increasingly use.
2. ACCESS
Visitor Centre: We welcome the recent report
by the Accommodation and Works, and Administration Committees
recommending a new reception and security building, and hope that
it is approved. However, we urge Parliament to see this as the
first step towards a full visitor centre that can provide a complete
service for visitors to the Houses of Parliament.
Booking for Strangers' Gallery: It should be
possible to advance book tickets for Strangers' Gallery, in the
same way that people can book tickets for Summer Opening tours
of Parliament.
Adult Education Unit: Education and outreach
work needs to be a higher priority for Parliament, with appropriate
funding and resources put in place to make this effective. An
Adult Education Unit, or Outreach Unit should be established to
oversee this work to compliment the work done with schools through
the Parliamentary Education Unit.
Educational materials: The Hansard Society
is delighted that Parliament has agreed to produce an educational
booklet that has been developed through our Connecting Communities
with Parliament project. There should be a commitment by Parliament
as well as individual MPs to promote and disseminate such information
as widely as possible. There should also be ongoing consideration
for further development of educational resources for all ages.
Educational tours of Parliament: Currently,
tours of Parliament concentrate on the historical and architectural
features of the Palace of Westminster, and the motivations for
people coming on the tour reflect this[11]
While the Visitor Satisfaction Survey found very high levels of
satisfaction with the current tours, there is scope for Parliament
to develop educational adult tours that allow interested individuals
and groups to learn about how Parliament works.
The Hansard Society has pioneered such
tours in Parliament, which take in committee meetings, oral questions,
and adjournment debates, supported by educational material and
discussions. Feedback from participants, who have generally been
active in their local communities or in voluntary organisations,
has been very positive. Seeing Parliament "come to life"
by watching real activities taking place encourages a greater
and longer-term interest in Parliament and a more positive approach
towards the political process as whole.
Partner libraries: The Scottish Parliament has
developed a Partner Library network, whereby every constituency
has a local base for parliamentary information. Partner libraries
are also used by the Participation Service of the Scottish Parliament
as venues for training sessions. This should be adopted by Parliament
for use across the UK.
Dissemination of information: There are many
ways in which Parliament could more effectively disseminate information
about its activities and work. The Hansard Society's Connecting
Communities with Parliament project involved evaluations that
asked members of the public where they would expect to find information
about Parliament. These included: local newspapers, email or text
message bulletins trade magazines (eg Nursing Times for
health issues), and information in local libraries. A creative
and proactive approach needs to be adopted in order to engage
with a wider group of citizens.
3. UNDERSTANDING
Language: There is clearly a "language
of Parliament" convention, which encourages MPs to speak
in a certain style that does not necessarily open up the work
of Parliament to a wider audience. Language can be seen as an
indicator of the culture of Parliament. The Modernisation Committee
needs to assess whether this language remains appropriate, or
whether it merely gives weight to the feeling of disengagement
with the political process felt by the majority of the public[12]
Clarity of publications: Parliament produces
a number of regular and highly informative publications, including
select committee reports, the Weekly Information Bulletin, and
Explanatory Notes for bills. However, they can be very difficult
to understand, due to the language and layout used. Parliament
should undertake a review of its publications, especially the
Weekly Information Bulletin which is particularly confusing for
the lay reader.
4. PUBLIC VOICE
Petitions committee: Petitions are one method
of engaging more systematically with the public interest. At present,
petitions are governed by strict rules about wording and there
is little sense that petitions to Parliament result in any concrete
action on the part of MPs[13]
Many petitions are submitted to Parliament each year but they
rarely, if ever, translate into parliamentary action. This is
in contrast to the Scottish Parliament where the Public Petitions
Committee plays a pivotal role in connecting the public and the
Executive. We strongly recommend a Petitions Committee in Westminster.
However, it can only be truly effective if all levels of Government
and Parliament are committed to the process and willing to incorporate
petitions into their programmes of work.
Online consultations: Online consultations are
a valuable tool for gathering and assessing public opinion for
select committees, committees considering draft legislation, and
All Party Groups. The Hansard Society has run a number
of successful online consultations, and recommends that Parliament
continues and expands their use. To be most effective, online
consultations need proper planning and moderation, and again,
both Parliament and Government must fully buy-in to the process[14]
Raising public concerns in Parliament: There
should be improvements to the quality and topicality of debates
in the Chamber. MPs should have more opportunities for short debates
on substantive issues. A common feature of many European legislatures
(for example, Germany, Sweden) is the "interpellation"
or "short debate" where an opposition party (or an equivalent
number of MPs) can call a debate on a topical issue or a matter
of public concern. The system obliges a government minister to
attend and provide an official statement.
In Australia the majority of each sitting Monday
is reserved for non-governmental Private Members' Business. This
includes Private Members' Motions, which are vehicles for debating
issues of concern, which do not result in a vote and Members Statements
where backbenchers can make a short statement of up to 90 seconds
(or three minutes on certain other days). Arrangement of Private
Members' Business is the responsibility of a Selection Committee
of 11 Backbench Members. Mechanisms such as these are well suited
to raising the concerns of the public in an accessible manner
and are able to highlight topical matters in a way that will attract
media attention.
Select Committees: Committees should be encouraged
to experiment with both on and off line resources to widen their
inquiries and the people involved with them. In addition, public
sessions outside Westminster should be held whenever relevant.
Public interest debates: There should be specific
provision for "public interest debates" motivated by
policy failure or maladministration on a broad scale. Many MPs
regard representing their constituency as their most important
role and the constituency experience is an important valve for
alerting MPs to policy failure. For example, MPs knew about the
problems of the Child Support Agency and the Passport Agency long
before they were debated in Parliament, but there were limited
opportunities to raise issues on substantive motions. MPs should
have the opportunity to call a short debate and require a ministerial
response on such issues where there is a clear case of policy
failure. The trigger for such debates would be a specific number
of MPs (perhaps between 150 and 200) drawn proportionately from
all the parties. The cross party requirement would prevent potential
abuse by pressure groups or manipulation by the whips. The system
would effectively allow Early Day Motions to force a debate, but
given the number of signatures and the cross-party balance this
would only happen in rare cases.
Recall of Parliament: Currently only the Government
is able to recall Parliament. Parliament as an institution should
be able to respond to issues as they arise. If Parliament is to
be an effective forum at times of crisis, and retain its significance
to political debate, there should be an alternative mechanism
for the recall of Parliament. The Speaker of the House of Commons
should have the ability to recall Parliament at times of emergency,
or alternatively if a majority of MPs (reflecting party balance)
sought a recall, this should be granted.
March 2004
11 An analysis of visitor satisfaction when visiting
Parliament during the Summer opening in 2000, commissioned by
the Houses of Parliament Visitor Services, showed that a "general
interest in heritage" was cited as the main reason for coming
on the tour. "To learn about the UK democratic and political
system" came two thirds of the way down the list of options. Back
12
The recent Hansard Society/Electoral Commission Audit of
Political Engagement found that politics was on the verge of becoming
a minority interest, with only half of participants saying that
they are very or fairly interested. This is the lowest level of
interest recorded by MORI since the question was first asked in
1973. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence from MORI focus groups suggests
that the present style of political discourse is partly responsible
for public disengagement from politics. Back
13
A recent Hansard Society survey of MPs found that only
3% believe that petitions are currently a "very effective"
way of influencing the government. Back
14
Prof Stephen Coleman, senior research associate with the Hansard
Society's E-Democracy Programme has conducted evaluations
of various online consultions conducted by the Society. See for
example Hearing Voices: The experience of online public consultations
and discussions in UK governance (2002). Back
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