Good news for Parliament
Public perception
of Parliament’s effectiveness shows signs of improvement,
says new Hansard
Society research
On the day
the House of Commons debates the effectiveness of select committees (Jan 31, 2013), initial
results from the Hansard Society’s 2013
Audit of Political Engagement 10 demonstrate
some interesting improvements in the public’s perception of Parliament over the
course of the last year.
The latest
results show:
- A 9 percentage point rise in
those agreeing that ‘the UK Parliament holds government to account’ (47%
in Audit 10 (2013) compared to 38% in Audit 9 (2012))
- A 5 percentage point rise in
those agreeing that ‘the UK Parliament debates and makes decisions about
issues that matter to me’ (54% in Audit 10 (2013) compared to 49% in Audit
9 (2012))
Dr Ruth Fox, Director and Head of Research at the Hansard Society,
commented: ‘These
latest Audit findings can perhaps be explained by the increased profile and
topicality of select committee activity over the last year. The issues they
have tackled such as phone hacking and taxation of multinational corporations
have chimed with the public and may be really helping to improve public
perceptions of Parliament’s effectiveness.’
‘But there
is still scope for further
improvements. The Hansard Society called for,
and gave evidence to, the Liaison Committee’s recent inquiry into select
committee effectiveness, resources and powers and many of our ideas have been
adopted. We hope MPs will now support implementation of the Committee’s
recommendations and build on the progress that has been made.’
For
further information, contact
Virginia Gibbons at the Hansard Society on 020 7710 6079 or
07812 765 552 or email comms@hansardsociety.org.uk
Editors'
Notes
- The Hansard Society is the UK's
leading independent, non-partisan political research and education
charity. We aim to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage
greater public involvement in politics.
- The Audit of Political Engagement is an annual health check on our
democratic system. Now in its 10th year, the study measures the ‘political
pulse’ of the nation, providing a unique benchmark to gauge public opinion
across Great Britain
with regard to politics and the political process. It is published by the
Hansard Society with funding from the House of Commons and the Cabinet
Office.
- The full Audit of Political Engagement 10 report will be published in the
spring. Audit 10 is based on a
public engagement poll conducted by TNS BMRB between 14-18 December 2012.
TNS conducted face to face interviews with a nationally representative
quota sample of 1,128 adults living in GB aged 18+.
- The Hansard Society gave oral evidence to the Liaison Committee’s
inquiry into select committee effectiveness on 23 February 2012. The
Society also submitted written
evidence jointly with the Constitution Unit, UCL and the Institute for Government.
- The Society first called for the Liaison Committee to conduct such an
inquiry in an article in our Parliamentary
Affairs journal in April 2011: ‘Reviewing Select Committee Tasks and
Modes of Operation’ by Alex Brazier and Ruth Fox