Are the Lord’s listening?: creating connections between people and Parliament, first report of session 2008-09, Vol. 1: Report

Parliament’s reputation is at a low point, and parliamentarians have to respond to the public’s legitimate expectations. This report, Are the Lords Listening? Creating Connections between People and Parliament (HL Paper 138-I) , examines what steps the Lords should take to engage with the public and to enable members of the public to communicate with it. It investigates how far the 2005 recommendations made by the Hansard Society Commission have been implemented and points the way forward. Aspects covered included: education, outreach, online communication and engagement, broadcasting, press and the media. The Committee considers that the House of Lords can and should do more and recommends in particular that there be: an online database running in parallel with debate in the Lords Chamber; greater access to the House of Lords for filming; information and documentation related to the core work of the House be made available online; better information about members’ areas of expertise and interest; and, a review of parliamentary language used. The accompanying Are the Lords Listening? Creating Connections between People and Parliament - Volume II: Evidence (HL Paper 138-II) (ISBN 9780108444661) is available to buy separately.