Archived Press Releases
For media enquiries, please contact:
Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager
T: 020 7438 1225
M: 07812 765552
mediaprog@hansard.lse.ac.uk
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‘New Code of Conduct should help restore trust in House of Lords'
In June 2009, The Hansard Society, the UK's leading non-partisan political research and education charity, published a briefing paper Restoring Trust in the House of Lords setting out a range of measures which should be taken if trust and faith in the House of Lords is be restored. We welcome the Eames Review Report which embodies a number of these recommendations, specifically:
- The appointment of a fully independent Commissioner for Standards to conduct investigations into all alleged misconduct by Members.
- The new proposed Code which seeks to articulate more clearly and comprehensively the general principles of conduct which should guide Members.
- That all Members should give a formal, signed undertaking to abide by the Code at the same time as taking the oath of allegiance on their introduction to the House and at the start of each new Parliament.
- Amending the wording of the Code so that it does not amount to a ‘lawyer's charter' which, contrary to the public interest, could delay inquiries into members misconduct.
- That future induction and mentoring of new Members should be improved and focus on standards and not just on political or practical matters.
- That Members of the House of Lords should be banned from accepting payment in return for providing parliamentary advice or services to outside bodies or persons.
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Schools are the best place for education
and action on climate change, say young people on the HeadsUp forum
www.headsup.org.uk
The young people on the HeadsUp forum discussing
climate change felt that schools are the best places for them to have an impact
and a voice on environmental matters. Some had already encouraged teachers to
switch lights and computers off, increase recycling in the classroom or set up
committees to look at how the school could reduce its environmental impact.
HeadsUp is the Hansard Society's innovative
web forum, where 11-18 year-olds debate political issues with legislators and
policy-makers. This three week forum, in partnership with the Department of
Energy and Climate Change, looked at the issue of climate change in the run up
to the UN Summit in Copenhagen.
It involved legislators such as Joan Ruddock MP (Minister of State, DECC), Jo
Swinson MP (Member, Environmental Audit Committee) and Caroline Lucas MEP (Leader,
Green Party). The
full report is available to read here
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A new Digital Paper from the Hansard Society - Twitter: Communication tool or pointless vanity? - shows that a higher percentage of Liberal Democrat MPs use Twitter compared to the other political parties:
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New Y Vote Mock Elections Website Launched
www.mockelections.co.uk
A new Y Vote Mock Election website, with Web 2.0
features, is launched today. The site is now easier to navigate and is an
essential tool for teachers wishing to run a mock election in their school. A mock election teaches students about the mechanics of an election and
enables them to discuss topical issues. Students can stand as a candidate, help
develop policy and a campaign strategy, design campaign posters and party
logos, write speeches, canvass for support and crucially cast their vote on the
day.
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Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary politics
Discounted rate for Hansard Society members
The October 2009 issue of Parliamentary Affairs looks at Charter 88 and the constitutional reform movement 20 years on.
As well as abstracts from the articles (see Editor's Notes), Parliamentary Affairs podcasts are also available. These are interviews with the authors designed to explore themes from their work. The podcasts are between 10 and 15 minutes long, and designed to inform researchers and to serve as teaching tools to stimulate discussion amongst students.