In this week’s parliament updates we explore how Parliament engages with the public. The two Houses work on behalf of the public to check/challenge government, make laws and debate/make decisions about the big issues of the day. The public can access much of this through the internet. It is now commonplace for citizens to watch their MPs at the despatch box during Prime Minister’s Questions or at a committee hearing, and for many to see the proceedings of either chamber on YouTube and other online channels.
The Assisted Dying Bill has its Second Reading, while the Chancellor and Defence Secretary are among a host of Ministers to face MPs at question time in the Commons. Peers will examine bills on border security, planning and children’s wellbeing, while the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists appears before a Commons committee. Lisa Nandy appears before the Culture Committee and Lord Hermer is questioned by the Constitution Committee. MPs will debate two e-petitions on indefinite leave to remain, and the youngest Cabinet minister in nearly two centuries, Shabana Mahmood, makes her first appearance before a committee.
In Strasbourg, MEPs express grave alarm at the Gaza ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian crisis, and urge the EU to support Palestinian reconciliation. They also approve changes to the European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, which will reduce the administrative burden on SMEs and occasional importers. And MEPs reaffirm their commitment to the European Union’s social and cohesion policy funding, to help build a more cohesive, united, and secure Europe.