‘It’s in your hands’:  Joan Walley MP is raising people’s awareness of how Parliament works, and why it is important to vote.

 IT IS ALL TO VOTE FOR

There are a number of ways that I am able to raise the issues which constituents bring to me. Just by being in Parliament, I am able to access a variety of different procedures as a way of getting things done.

Just walking through the division lobbies with Government ministers everyday is one way of being able to broach a subject initially. A lot goes on behind the scenes.  Often a letter or informal meeting with the minister is the best way to get something done.  But there are more public ways too. Early Day Motions are signed by MPs who want to publicly put their name in support of a certain issue or argument. Officially they are the names of proposed debates, but in reality there are so many of them that there is not enough time to debate most. Recently, I have signed EDMs on subjects from the NHS to workers rights.  I have also written and tabled EDMs concerning paid holidays for workers, the preservation of wildlife habitats and the future of our post offices.

And of course I speak in Parliament on a regular basis.  Debates can be held on Government Bills, Private Members Bills, or on an Opposition Day Motion.  Last week, for example, I spoke in a Government debate on climate change.  This wasn’t there to decide new laws directly, but for MPs to raise the very real and genuine concerns that they and their constituents have. Then there are also Adjournment Debates, which are small debates which any MP can call, and which can be on almost any subject. I’ve called recent debates on ceramics and on job services in North Staffordshire.

Of course, the most famous part of the Parliamentary week comes at noon on a Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions Time.  MPs from all parties are chosen for the opportunity to raise issues with the Prime Minister and hold the Government to account. But as well as Prime Minister’s Questions, there are question periods held each day of the Parliamentary week – which normally lasts from Monday to Thursday. About once a month, Ministers from each Government department will be in the chamber for an hour or half an hour to answer questions on their work and duties. The devil is in the detail when it comes to making Government policy work for people and question time is a chance to get that detail looked at by ministers.

On Monday, I had the chance to ask two questions: one about how the Government is encouraging young people to understand what it means to have the vote. The other was about how the Government is making its services accessible to disabled people.

Voting is our say in how our country is run, but research has established that less than a third of young people say that they would be sure to vote in an election.  There is something wrong here, because I know that young people care passionately about the issues that are out there.  I hear from them on issues like climate change and international development, and I know that they care about what the Government does.

No matter what your age, you can keep up with all that is going on with BBC Parliament, a TV channel which is free on Freeview or on Sky or cable. Alternatively, the internet has made it much, much easier to stay up to date with much is happening in Parliament.  Hansard is the official record of parliament and all of it is available for free at www.parliament.uk.  Other websites, like www.theyworkforyou.com make it very easy to see what I and other MPs are up to, or to see what is being said about a particular subject by any MP.

It is also worth looking at the way in which the Government introduces a new policy and opens up the debate for MPs.  Of course there is no one procedure, and every policy comes about in a different way.  Still, there is a standard process which might start off with a Green Paper.  This is a tentative outline of what the Government would like to do, but is quite open-ended and doesn’t usually have a timescale attached to it. After a period of consultation on the issues, the Government would then publish a White Paper, which outlines exactly where it plans to go in a particular area. 

There is often much debate in the press about what is said in a White Paper, and MPs and interested organisations will all make representations to Government to see that their concerns are heard.  It is part of my job to see that the issues which are important to Stoke-on-Trent North are considered when the Government is deciding its policy at this stage.

Some of what the Government proposes to do will require new laws and the Government will need to table a Bill for consideration by Parliament.  We all hear about the high profile Bills and controversial debates, but at any one time there might be about 50 Bills passing through the Houses of Parliament. All MPs and Peers have an opportunity to influence the content of any of these Bills at the many stages it takes for it to become an Act, which is the name for a law of the land.

One important White Paper which we can expect to see in the near future is the Local Government White Paper. This will be published by the Department for Communities and Local Government and will set out ways in which local people can have more say over the issues which are close to them. If any constituents are interested in local Government organisation and funding, then please be in touch and I can send you a copy of this White Paper when it is published.

And then on November 15^th, the Queen will re-open Parliament for the coming year.  In her speech on that occasion, she will set out all of the legislation which the Government plans to enact in the coming year. MPs can then start preparations to scrutinise all of this on behalf of their constituents.

 If you have any questions or comments about any aspect of Parliamentary procedure, or about any of the issues which are being discussed in Parliament, then do be in touch.  I am always happy to hear from constituents.