Celebrations for this are happening between November 13 and 17, with events in the historic Westminster Hall and the modern Parliamentary building called Portcullis House. 1300 schools and over 2600 other organizations are taking part, to make the work of Parliament better known and understood. Against this background, I thought it might be of interest…
Every day in the Lords starts with four oral questions, and it can be difficult to secure a slot (three a week are saved for last minute topical questions). Many peers want to ask questions in order to hold the government to account and to find out more about plans and actions taken, and this…
Lord Quirk asked a question today about taking measures to improve performance in written and spoken English throughout the education system. So many peers rose to their feet wishing to participate that very few could be heard. Had I been one of them, I would have asked the Minister to tell schools and universities to…
Tabling questions to the Government can serve one of several purposes. One is is to ensure that an issue is drawn to the attention of a minister. The matter may be important but not one that has fully engaged the attention of ministers. The purpose is thus served before the minister has even come to the dispatch box.…
There were a great many answers to written questions appearing in Hansard yesterday, the last day of the session. Among them was the answer to the question I tabled on the issue of Government Department websites. It shows some welcome development in terms of ensuring consistency and user-friendly sites. As Departments have control of their own…
