Parlianet in the News

The devil is in the detail of parliamentary developments, says Michael Prescott

16 January 2002

It is widely accepted that time is the most precious commodity in the modern work place, and that lack of time to fulfil our professional obligations is one of the greatest contributors to work place stress, not least in the public sector.

What are especially frustrating are institutions which can appear impenetrable to the outside world, and which can be impossibly difficult to gain information from. Parliament has a lot to answer for in this respect.

Even as a political editor, it could be difficult getting hold of essential information about parliamentary developments. I can only imagine how time consuming and frustrating it must be for smaller organisations, with more limited resources than national newspapers, who need to monitor what is happening in Parliament.

But as we enter a new year in Parliament there are signs that an end to this misery is in sight. Robin Cook, as Leader of the House of Commons has begun work on a package of measures to address the problem of a lack of openness in Parliament. He has attacked what he called 'medieval' practices in Parliament, describing them as 'antique, ludicrous, Dickensian and as ritualised as 18th-century duelling'. He's lucky. He doesn't have to monitor what is happening there.

One of his initiatives is likely to include a greater use of web based contact between Parliament and people, to allow voters to feed back to MPs on the issues they face. I am convinced that this could be an exciting development and help to re-establish a link between the governors and the governed. I firmly believe that if people knew more about what really happens in Parliament - beyond the nonsense that is Prime Minister's Question Time - we would begin to arrest the declining regard for politicians as a breed.

Both for professional organisations needing to monitor Parliament for their work, and for the greater relationship between politicians and the public, we must improve the accessibility of information about political and parliamentary developments.

Just before Christmas I spoke at the launch of Parlianet, a new web-based political and parliamentary database provided by electronic publishers Justis Publishing.

Using the latest technology, Parlianet allows users quick searching facilities across years of parliamentary information. It is a fast-access index to the proceedings and publications of the four parliamentary legislatures of the UK, including Hansard. Updated daily, this comprehensive and authoritative source for parliamentary research allows for the easy analysis of Parliamentary Questions, MP biographies, legislation, Bill histories, Parliamentary papers and other official publications.

No more thud on your desk as a weighty volume of Hansard arrives; no more eyes glazing over as you search for a speech amid 700 pages. It is about saving time for professional people, but I think it also makes a very important contribution to the monitoring of political life in this country.

I reminded guests at the launch of Parlianet of the occasions in which an assiduous study of Hansard has changed the course of political events. Where would Peter Mandelson be now if Antony Barnett, the Observer reporter, had not highlighted his answers to a parliamentary question tabled by Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, on the Secretary of State and his relationship with the Hinduja brothers? I hang my head in acknowledging that Barnett was the only Sunday newspaper reporter to have taken the time to check Hansard.

The point is that political monitoring counts. In my new capacity as a political consultant I remind clients all the time that the devil is in the detail of politics. How many questions of relevance to your organisation have you missed recently? Are you confident you know what is happening in the Commons? Really?

Wise organisations will invest in tracking parliamentary developments rather than risk cutting corners. A subscription to Parlianet is a great way to start.

Michael Prescott was previously Political Editor of the Sunday Times. He is now Vice Chairman of Weber Shandwick Public Affairs