House of Commons - Administration

Select Committee on Administration First Report

Annex 2: Visitor facilities at other Parliaments

1. The Australian Parliament, built in 1988, does not have a dedicated visitor centre, but the public is able to access public areas of the building or join a free guided tour. The building has over one million visitors a year, of which 100,000 are school students.

2. Facilities at the Australian Parliament include: interactive displays and exhibition areas; classrooms and lunch area for schools; a "theatrette" showing videos; an auditorium; a shop; post office; cash machines; café; toilets and baby changing room; information desk and disabled access. Surveys are held on a regular basis to monitor the public's approval rating of the facilities.

3. The Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) Programme is funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training and provides a travel subsidy for Year 4-12 students across Australia to visit Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and other national institutions as part of their civics and citizenship education. The programme is aimed at encouraging students' on-site learning about national democratic, historical and cultural institutions.

4. To be eligible for the rebate, students must be enrolled in a recognised education provider 150km or more from Canberra, and must be part of a school excursion trip whose principal purpose for travelling to Canberra is to enhance student learning in civics and citizenship education. Funds are allocated on a per student basis at rates varying according to distance travelled. The payment is a subsidy and is not meant to cover all costs. Teachers and other adults accompanying the school group are not eligible for a rebate.

5. Students receiving the rebate are required to visit the Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and other national civic institutions where possible. They are also required, where possible, to participate in guided educational tours of Parliament and a Parliamentary Education Office Programme.

6. Teachers are required to report on the funding provided and activities undertaken in their school newsletters or equivalent and use civics and citizenship education resources in preparation for the visit.

AUSTRIA

7. The visitor centre of the Austrian Parliament aims to convey to the public an "idea of parliamentarianism that is alive and real".[91] It contains a multimedia library, interactive displays and a "time wheel" to explore the Parliament's recent history. A quiz has been developed for younger children. The public areas of the centre are approximately 600m², with the entrance ramp, storage and archives taking the total space to around 7,500m². The facilities provided include: a press centre; an information counter; a small café; a cloakroom and a shop which sells souvenirs and publications. Tickets may be bought for a guided tour.[92]

8. The Austrian Parliament does not operate a scheme to subsidise travel costs for its visitors, and has no immediate future plans to do so.

CANADA

9. The Canadian Parliament consists of three buildings on Parliament Hill - the Centre, East and West Blocks. The Visitor Welcome Centre is located in the Centre Block and offers introductory information on Parliament and acts as an assembly point for visitors taking tours of the parliament building.[93] The centre's message is described as "Parliament: shaping Canada's destiny".

10. Toilets, seating and cloakrooms are provided. A seasonal "Info Tent" and a walk-in Parliament of Canada Information Centre also provide information for visitors and tours. Exhibits and publications are also available. Programmes and services are monitored to ensure the needs of visitors are met. The Welcome Centre exhibition space and kiosk is only about 10m² in size and yet in 2004-05 364,750 visitors passed through the centre as did 12,310 tours.

11. The Parliament is currently considering a feasibility study for a new, larger "Parliament Hill Welcome Centre", with an area of 3,460m², as the current centre is unable to meet the demands of its visitors. The guiding principles for the development of the centre are:

Visitors should have a positive and pleasant experience;
Parliament must operate in a dignified and unimpeded manner;
Security of place, of occupants and of visitors will be assured;
The Heritage and symbolic value of Parliament Hill will be respected, and
The physical characteristics of Parliament Hill will be valued and enhanced.[94]

12. The Canadian Parliament does not operate a scheme to subsidise travel costs for its visitors.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

13. Over 230,000 European citizens from all 25 member states visit the European Parliament every year as part of its subsidised programme for visitors to take part in briefings on the political role and functions of the European Parliament, to take part in discussions with their MEPs and to see debates in the Chamber.[95] MEPs are able to nominate 100 persons a year to participate in the visitor programme and they are then invited by the Visitors and Seminars Unit of the European Parliament. The rate of subsidy is calculated according to the distance travelled. These programmes are run in Strasbourg, where there are 10 briefing rooms, and Brussels, where there are 12 rooms. The aim of the visitor programme is to raise awareness of the European Parliament's role, to encourage participation in European Elections and to bring the EU closer to its citizens.[96]

14. Individual visitors are able to take audio-guided tours and groups are also received from outside the EU. Conferences and seminars on topical issues and the work of the Parliament are also run by conference speakers.

15. In addition to the visitors programme, 10 times a year approximately 500 students from across the member states are invited to Strasbourg to take part in the "Euroscola" programme. The programme is designed to enable young people from all over Europe to meet and discuss their problems and experiences in the forum of a "European Youth Parliament". The students, who are expected to prepare work in advance, spend a day at the European Parliament learning about the European Institutions and becoming aware of their own role in the future organisation of Europe. The programme is intended to convey to the students the need to invest in democracy and fundamental rights and offer a forum to express their opinions. Travel costs are subsidised according to the distance travelled, and only part of the travel costs will be covered.

16. The European Parliament is planning to open a new Visitor Centre in Brussels which will host an interactive exhibition centre. It also intends to start a visitors' loyalty programme where visitors can express their opinions online of the conference they attended and their visit in general.

GERMANY

17. Citizens aged 15 and above can visit the German Bundestag and receive information about the tasks, procedures and composition of the German Bundestag, together with information about the history, architecture and art of the Reichstag Building. The German Bundestag can be visited during weeks when Parliament sitting and weeks when it is not sitting. Participation in all the tours organised by the Visitors' Service is free of charge.

18. Members of the German Bundestag can invite groups of politically interested people from their constituencies and nearby to Berlin. Every Member of the Bundestag may invite up to 100 guests per year for a subsidised fact-finding visit and 100 guests for a subsidised visit to the plenary. The minimum size of a group of visitors is 10. The visitor programme includes a 45-minute information lecture on the visitors' galleries in the plenary chamber or attendance at a plenary debate. This is followed by a discussion with the Member of the Bundestag who invited them. In addition, the group is treated to a light meal in the Visitors' Restaurant of the German Bundestag. Travel costs are subsidised, with each visitor paying a small proportion of the cost themselves. The costs of rail travel with the Deutsche Bahn are covered, although only up to the price of the cheapest ticket available. If visitors come to the Bundestag by coach or other means of transport, 4 cents are reimbursed per person per kilometre. A total of €3.6m (£2.4m approx.) were earmarked for such subsidies in the 2006 federal budget.

19. In addition, twice a year, Members of the Bundestag can invite groups of up to 50 citizens from their constituencies with an interest in politics to Berlin via the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. Participants have an opportunity to get to know at first hand the political scene in Berlin, the work of the Members of the Bundestag, the Federal Government and the Ministries. A range of important sites of contemporary history are also visited. The length of stay in Berlin depends on the distance between the constituency in question and Berlin (from 1 to 3 nights). It is up to the Members in question to decide which of those citizens with an interest in politics they invite to Berlin.

20. These trips can only take place providing the resources necessary are earmarked in the budget of the Press and Information Office. In the 2006 federal budget, a total of €16.4m (£11m approx.) were set aside for this purpose. In general, demand for these subsidised services is considerably greater than the maximum capacity available. Some Members have very long waiting lists in their constituency offices for these subsidised places.[97]

NORWAY

21. The Stortinget subsidises travel costs for secondary schools visiting the Parliament, specifically schoolchildren aged 16-18 who are those about to reach voting age. Educational programmes run by the Parliament include interactive role-play on politics and democracy in a 'MiniTing' (or 'Mini-Parliament'). The subsidy system was adopted recently and the budget is NOK 500,000 per half year (approx. £42,000). Students have to pay NOK 400 themselves (approx. £34). Norway is divided into two geographical zones for the purpose of providing the subsidy. Students in the northernmost four counties can get up to NOK1500 per student (approx. £125); while students living in southern Norway can receive up to NOK 750 each (approx. £60). The subsidy does not usually cover all travel costs. The cost of over-night accommodation is not subsidised. Schools receiving the subsidy are asked to send the Parliament a report of the visit, which may be published on the Parliament's youth website.

22. So far the Parliament has had applications from all the counties, except the most northerly (Finnmark). As the system is fairly new, applications are monitored to ensure that a variety of schools from all over the country are included. Should demand for the subsidy increase beyond the resource available, priority will be given to those school children in their final year.

SCOTLAND

23. The visitor centre of the Scottish Parliament is contained within the Main Hall of the Parliament building, which is immediately after the public entrance. The target audience is the people of Scotland, but visitors of Members and young people and teachers are described as "key audiences".[98] Its main aims are to facilitate access to business, to Members and to learning about the Parliament. It has developed a deliberately open and accessible approach and, whilst not claiming to be a tourist attraction, it uses tourist industry standards to ensure visitors leave satisfied.[99]

24. The centre is open seven days a week and its facilities include a visitor information desk, plasma screens showing live coverage of the chamber and committees, a permanent exhibition display, a shop, an education centre, café, school packed lunch area, toilets, a crèche and meeting rooms. Surveys are held regularly to monitor satisfaction.

25. Visitors are able to tour parts of the building on their own without booking.

26. The Scottish Parliament does not at present operate a scheme to subsidise travel costs for its visitors. However, a subsidy for overnight and travel costs is provided for those participating in certain events run by the Scottish Parliament Visitor and Outreach Services, e.g. 'Young People in Politics', which was held in March and brought young people across Scotland to the Parliament for a day of activities. A review of the Parliament's outreach and education programme is currently underway and will look at the issue of subsidies.[100]

SWEDEN

27. The Swedish Parliament has a visitor centre which is staffed by one person at a time, providing information about the Riksdag and its procedures. Publications and souvenirs are on sale in the shop, and toilets and a coffee machine are provided. In order to encourage dialogue between voters and their elected representatives, the centre has weekly question and answer sessions for the public to attend. Less frequently, exhibitions, themed evenings and seminars are organised by the centre. The centre is approximately 80m² and it receives between 5,000 and 7,000 visitors a year.[101]

28. Although there is no subsidy for visitors' travel costs at the moment, the issue of whether to subsidise travel has been discussed in the past and it is likely that the issue will be revisited in the future.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

29. The Capitol Visitor Centre project in Washington DC is due to be completed in July 2007. It will be located underground, due to heritage considerations, and will be connected to the Capitol. It is an ambitious project with a budget of $522 million. When finished the centre will cover approximately 580,000 square feet over three levels.[102] It is estimated that it will receive three million visitors a year. Approximately 230 staff will service the centre.

30. Whilst the aim of the centre is to make the Capitol more informative, secure and accessible for the public, there is no specific target audience. The facilities it will contain include: a virtual House and Senate; two 250 seat orientation theatres and one 500 seat auditorium; meeting rooms for Congressmen and their guests; and a 16,500 square foot exhibition gallery dedicated to the story of Congress and the Capitol.[103]

31. There are no plans to provide subsidised travel costs for visitors.

WALES

32. The National Assembly for Wales Visitor and Education Centre is located in a listed building 50 yards from the Assembly building. It contains an exhibition hall, dedicated to an explanation of the Assembly's role, and two rooms allocated to the education programme for schools. Toilets, interactive displays and a shop are the other facilities provided.[104]

33. The main aim of the centre is to enhance the level of public knowledge of and involvement with the Welsh Assembly. This aim is measured through seeking feedback.

34. Schools and Further Education and Higher Education colleges in Wales (but not universities or youth clubs) outside a 10-mile radius (20 mile return journey) of the National Assembly for Wales can claim a subsidy for their visit to the National Assembly's Visitor and Education Centre in Cardiff Bay. Each school and college may claim one travel subsidy per academic year to the Visitor and Education Centre. Schools may either claim a mileage allowance or train travel can be subsidised.

91 Ev 57 Back

92 Ev 56-57 Back

93 Ev 57 Back

94 Ev 59 Back

95 Ev 64 Back

96 Ev 65 [Visits and Seminars Unit, European Parliament] Back

97 Further details on the wide range of services offered by the Bundestag Visitors' Service can be found at: http://www.bundestag.de/visitors Back

98 Ev 53 Back

99 Ev 56 Back

100 Information provided by Visitor and Outreach Services, Scottish Parliament Back

101 Ev 46 [Information Department, The Swedish Parliament] Back

102 Ev 50 Back