Lords of the Blog
The House of Lords Information Committee — nothing to do with the law lords — has just published a fascinating report on communicating with the public.
If Parliament approves its recommendations , people would be able to:
- watch House of Lords proceedings on YouTube;
- embed parliamentary proceedings on their websites;
- watch video recordings of Lords proceedings and read Lords Hansard on the same screen and at the same time;
- watch Lords divisions from inside the division lobbies;
- participate in an online debate in parallel to a debate in the Lords Chamber;
- analyse and re-use parliamentary data;
- access more information online about Bills and see on the parliamentary website how a Bill has been amended by Parliament;
- sign up to receive electronic alerts and updates about particular Bills or portions of Bills relevant to their interests;
- access a list showing which Lords are expert on, or have a particular interest in, which subjects;
- access parliamentary information in formats that are user-friendly for people with disabilities (including learning disabilities and mental health issues);
Peers would be able to:
- inform people and the media about their areas of expertise and interest;
- access a more appropriate room for interviews;
- see more clearly how a Bill amends previous Acts;
Journalists would be able to:
- access a list of members who are willing to speak to the media on particular subjects;
- attend information sessions on the House of Lords; and
Broadcasters would be able to:
- film in more areas within the House of Lords;
- show more engaging footage of Lords proceedings;
- access a list of members who are willing to speak to the media on particular subjects.
Fascinating stuff. Let’s see how long it takes the Commons to catch up.
