Political glossary of useful terms

The workings of Parliament can often be unnecessarily confusing. Detailed below are explanations of the most useful Parliamentary areas in terms of campaigning. These will help you navigate your way through the maze of jargon.

Early Day Motion (EDM)
An EDM takes the form of an extremely long sentence (tabled early in the day) which can:

• state support for an issue
• note a particular event
• condemn something
• call for action

Few are ever debated on the floor of the House due to lack of Parliamentary time. However, it is a good way of establishing support for an issue. MPs often respond to letters from their constituents asking them to sign EDMs, though many frontbench spokespeople are unable to do so. EDMs are tabled on a wide range of subjects so your MP may well table one on your issue. Try not to bombard your MP with requests to table EDMs on every issue you care about, instead be careful to use this tool when most effective.

Parliamentary Questions

The following are examples of Parliamentary Questions:

a) Oral questions
These are tabled every two weeks prior to being asked in the House and take up the first half-hour of business. There is a regular rota of questions so if you are asking your MP to table a question, bear in mind it may be some weeks before it is actually asked. In addition, only a certain number of questions are selected so your MP might not be picked. Questions to the Minister have to be on a specific subject and come within the remit of that department. After the question is asked, the MP might ask a supplementary question so make sure you give your MP further facts for the supplementary question.

Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs)
There is great demand for Prime Minister’s Questions and MPs who are selected often have a question in mind, and it may be difficult to persuade them to take your question. Questions that are selected then appear in the order paper.

b) Written questions
An MP can table an unlimited number of written questions. This is a useful means of getting information about a particular issue from Government departments. Answers to written questions can often be incorporated in press releases, so you may find this a useful method of campaigning. Similar procedures also exist in the House of Lords.

Committees
a) Public Bill Committees
These are committees to which Bills are referred for detailed consideration. Only a certain number of MPs serve on each committee and your local MP may not be a member. However,
they might be willing to approach a member of a committee on your behalf if you feel particularly strongly about a Bill and want to see it changed.

b) Select Committees
These are committees established on a specific subject area. They often mirror Government departments (for example, The Health Select Committee). At the beginning of each Parliamentary Session the Committees decide what enquiries they will carry out in the coming year, and then take evidence from various people. Once the enquiry is complete a report is published. If you or your organisation has evidence that is relevant to a specific enquiry you could write to the Clerk of the Committee with your information. Again this is a useful way of bringing issues of concern to MPs. Details of current enquiries can be found at www.parliament.uk

Debates
There are several types of debate. For example, Adjournment Debates are mini-debates that take place immediately before the House is adjourned. Be mindful that these should only
be tabled on a substantive issue and are extremely resource intensive. So be selective!

Private Members’ Bill
Although the Government has the major responsibility for proposing legislation, Private Members’ Bills may also be introduced by backbench MPs or peers. These Bills have to go through all stages, as does Government legislation. Whilst these are unlikely to be passed they represent a good way to raise awareness of a particular issue. An example
of this is the Independent Living Bill.

Green Paper
This is a consultation document giving background information, setting possible options for action and inviting views from the general public on future Government legislation or other
policies. The timeline is approximately six weeks.

White Paper
These are Government proposals for future legislation which are less open to change than a Green Paper.