Parliament plc: its organisation and infrastructure

The Hansard Society has done a considerable amount of work in the area of Parliament’s engagement with the public, both in the form of research reports and in practical engagement projects such as Lords of the Blog run by the Digital Democracy programme.

Parliament and the Public (2008)

The Parliament and the Public report examined the public's knowledge of and attitudes towards Parliament, using a specially commissioned opinion poll survey. It found that just 32% of the public say they 'have a good understanding of the way Parliament works', only 19% agreed that Parliament is 'working for them', and only one in two members of the public are confident that Parliament is not the same thing as government.

The Puttnam Commission (2005-06)

In 2005 the Hansard Society Commission on the Communication of Parliamentary Democracy (the Puttnam Commission) examined whether Parliament was failing in its democratic duty to communicate with the electorate. It made 39 recommendations, which together set out a practical route for much needed change, and in 2006 a follow-up report examined the progress made. The Parliament and Government programme continue to pursue these issues recommendations through evidence to select committees and briefing papers for debates (see below).

Evidence to select committees

Recent submissions to select committees in this area include:

• Lords Information Committee inquiry on Parliament and the Public (written and oral evidence) - 2009
  
• Administration Sub-Committee inquiry on a Parliamentary Visitor Centre - 2006
• Modernisation Committee inquiry on Connecting Parliament with the Public - 2006

To contribute to the Lords' debate on this issue in 2008, we produced a briefing paper entitled Enhancing Parliament’s Ability to Communicate with Members of the Public summarising our research and recommendations, and assessing where progress still needs to be made.