Get Involved
It’s your UK Parliament
The House of Commons and the House of Lords
make up the UK Parliament. They make decisions
that affect us all.
This leaflet sets out the different ways you can
share your views with UK Parliament on issues that
matter to you, and how you can keep informed on
the day-to-day events in Parliament.
Contact your MP
Wherever you live in the UK you have a local Member of Parliament (MP) who is
your representative in the House of Commons.
If you feel strongly about something that share their concerns. They can then work
you think Parliament or the government together more effectively to press the
should do, you can contact your MP to government for action. MPs cannot take
ask if they will raise it on your behalf. up every case but, if they are able to
MPs can ask questions directly to help, they can be a very useful advocate.
government ministers. There are also
opportunities each week in the Commons Find out who your MP is and how to
for MPs to raise an issue – from short contact them: members.parliament.uk/
debate slots to question time sessions. members/commons
By speaking out about a problem, an MP
can attract the support of other MPs who
Contact a member of the House of Lords
The House of Lords is the second chamber of UK Parliament and shares the task of
making laws and checking and challenging the work of government.
Members of the Lords come from different Contact any member of the Lords and
professional backgrounds and apply their search for the areas they are interested
experience to the House’s work. They bring in: members.parliament.uk/members/
specialist knowledge and independent lords
experience as they debate current issues
and check and change bills before they
become law.
Watch UK Parliament at work
UK Parliament is open to the public. Everyone can watch the action in both the House
of Commons and House of Lords.
Advance booking is not necessary but When Parliament is sitting you can also
it is recommended for Prime Minister’s take a guided tour of Parliament, free of
Question Time on Wednesdays. charge, Monday to Friday.
You can watch the action live, or on catch Find out more: parliament.uk/visiting
up, on parliamentlive.tv
Have your say on changes to the law
Making laws is one of the core roles of UK Parliament. If you feel strongly about
a proposed new law (bill) that Parliament is considering, or you think changes
should be made to it, you can ask your MP or a member of the House of Lords to
raise the issue on your behalf.
Your MP may get to speak and vote interests you is to check who will be
on the bill during its stages in the speaking at the bill’s second reading
Commons. You can let your MP know debate in the House of Lords chamber.
if you would like them to support or To do this search:
oppose the bill, or ask if they will
either propose or support changes speakers list lords
(amendments) to the bill.
You can also search members of the
You can also send information (submit Lords by policy interest: members.
evidence) directly to a Public Bill parliament.uk/members/lords
Committee during its committee stage in
the Commons. Sometimes the government publishes
a bill in draft form, to allow for
Members of the Lords often focus on consultation and scrutiny, before it is
bills that relate to their specific areas of officially introduced to Parliament. It is
expertise or interest. The best way to find often possible to send in your comments
out which members are working on the on the bill at this early stage. To find
bill that current draft bills search:
draft bills
Share your views on a select committee inquiry
Both the Commons and the Lords have select committees. These are smaller
groups of MPs or members of the Lords set up to investigate an issue and report
their findings.
Select committees usually launch each To find out more about select committees
new investigation with a call for evidence and to see which committees are
which invites members of the public with currently asking for views from the public
an interest or experience in the topic to search:
share their views either via email or by
attending an event. Based on the facts select committee inquiries
they gather during the inquiry, select
committees make suggestions for how
things can be improved. In this way,
they try to influence future government
decisions.
You don’t have to be an expert to share
your views; a committee looking into
how school meals or bus services can be
improved may learn more from parents
and passengers than chefs and bus
operators.
Start or sign a petition
Petitions are a good way of showing MPs that a lot of people feel strongly about
an issue.
Any member of the public can sign or The Petitions Committee keeps you
create a petition on the Parliament and informed about any action that is taken
government petitions website: petition. on a petition you have signed or created.
parliament.uk
To find out more search:
Petitions that attract 100,000 signatures
or more are usually debated in the petition parliament
Commons.
Share your experiences to inform debates
Members regularly have the chance to lead debates on local
or national issues, pressing government ministers for action
or asking them to explain their decisions.
The topics can include health conditions, environment, education
policy and much more.
The Chamber Engagement team enables people with practical
experience and knowledge of such subjects to share their insights
with the Member leading a debate. This helps to inform the
debate and gives the public a chance to have their voice heard in
Parliament. To view our activities search:
chamber engagement
Follow UK Parliament online
Find out what is happening in both Houses in the week
ahead: whatson.parliament.uk.
Discover what bills Parliament is considering and track their
progress: bills.parliament.uk
See what your MP or members of the Lords have said in
Parliament and check how they have voted: members.
parliament.uk
Follow the Commons and the Lords on social media.
Vote in an election
There are general elections every few years so you can decide who should
represent you as your local MP and have a say in how the UK is run.
To vote in an general election, you
need to be a British, Irish or qualifying
Commonwealth citizen. To find out more
search:
register to vote
Don’t forget, you can stand as a
candidate in a general election. Find
out more on the Electoral Commission’s
website: electoralcommission.org.uk
You can also nominate somebody to
become a member of the House of Lords.
To find out how search:
Lords appointments
Be informed
The House of Commons and House of Lords publish briefings each week that cover
every topic discussed by Parliament. These are available for the public to read.
Commons and Lords briefings are a good It will also help you to make a better,
place to start for anyone who wants more persuasive case yourself. To
to contact Parliament about an issue. find briefings on topics discussed in
Understanding the background of a Parliament search:
topic will help you to make sense of the
arguments on either side.
research briefings
parliament
Want to know more?
Contact us if you have a question about the
House of Commons or House of Lords.
House of Commons Enquiry Service
@
[email protected] 0800 112 4272 (Freephone) or 020 7219 4272
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
House of Lords Enquiry Service
@
[email protected] 0800 223 0855 (Freephone) or 020 7219 3107
House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
Callers with a text phone can talk through Text Relay by calling
18001 followed by the full number.
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