The Guardian has published a ‘helpful’ guide for new MPs that may also be of interest to new (and old) staff.

After the hurly burly of the General Election, the brand new Parliament gets down to formal business on 27 May with the State Opening of Parliament when the Queen’s Speech will set out the new government’s legislative programme. New MPs, returning MPs, and Peers will begin the work of checking and challenging the government’s agenda for the new Parliament, and in due course will propose new legislation of their own.

Focusing on how laws are introduced, checked and passed, “Understanding Parliament: law making in action”  will provide you with a comprehensive view of how the legislative system works, as well as equipping you with the information you need to engage effectively with the new 2015 Parliament and influence the issues that matter to you.

Sign up for this free event to get:

• Unique insights from Parliamentary experts on how new laws are proposed, scrutinised and passed
• A greater understanding of how MPs and Peers check and challenge legislation
• Guidance on how you can get involved and directly engage with the law-making process

We are pleased to announce that this event will be chaired by Krishnan Guru-Murthy, presenter of Channel Four News. There will be lots of opportunities to ask our panel of experts questions about Parliament.

Follow @UKParlOutreach on Twitter and submit questions for the panel in advance using the hashtag #GetParliament. We will do our best to answer as many as possible.

When and where?

This free public event is taking place in London on Tuesday 9 June from 2-4pm at:

• The Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, London, Westminster SW1P 3DW

How to book

Register online for this event using the link below:

• “Understanding Parliament: law-making in action” online registration form

Looking for a more general introduction to Parliament and its work?

Come to one of our “How Parliament Works” drop-in sessions for a basic introduction to Parliament, covering:

• What Parliament is and what it does
• The role of an MP
• The difference between Parliament and Government
• How a bill becomes a law
• How members of the public can get involved

When and where?

These regular 90 minute sessions are delivered by Parliament’s Outreach team and take place in the Houses of Parliament – details available via the online registration form links below.

How to book

Register online for one of our forthcoming drop-in sessions:

• Thursday 21 May, 10.30 – 12 noon – drop-in session online registration form
• Thursday 25 June, 10.30 – 12 noon – drop-in session online registration form
• Thursday 23 July, 10.30 – 12 noon – drop-in session online registration form

UK Parliament has produced some free Parliamentary Apps for Android, iPhone and iPad.

My Constituency shows key statistics for each constituency, including election results, unemployment, youth unemployment and population.

ParliQuiz is produced by Parliament’s Education Service, and is great for older students and teachers learning and teaching about politics, Parliament and democracy. It aims to demystify Parliament, and will be useful for anyone with an interest in testing and improving their political literacy.

The Commons Order Papers: the House of Commons Order Paper is published each sitting day and lists the business of the House and sittings in Westminster Hall. It also lists questions for oral or written answer that day, questions for written answer which have not previously appeared in print, and certain other items such as notices of written statements, committee notices, remaining orders and lists of future business.

Includes:
– Summary agenda
– Business today
– Future business

Lords Business Papers: The House of Lords Business Papers are published each sitting day and lists the business of the House of Lords in chamber and committee, also including

-Order Paper
-Future Business
-Select Committee reports
-Other Motions for Debate
-Motions relating to Delegated Legislation
-Questions for Short Debate
-Questions for Written Answer
-Questions for Written Answer unanswered after 10 working days
-Bills in Progress
-Affirmative Instruments
-Negative instruments
-Public Bodies Order in Progress
-Papers Laid

House Papers:  The HousePapers application contains papers relating to Parliamentary business in the House of Commons and House of Lords on a month by month basis.

A wide variety of business papers and documents are added daily (during sitting periods), providing information on the business of the House and background information on debates. Papers are arranged by sitting date and are grouped into folders to bring together papers relevant to particular items of business.

You can see all of the Apple Apps here: iTunes Store

You can see all of the Android Apps here: Google Play Store

As the tightest election battle for years dominates the news, younger members of society throughout the country are casting their votes by getting involved in the excitement and drama of Mock Elections.

The Hansard Society’s Mock Elections in Schools project collates the results from hundreds of schools across the country in order to produce a national result.  Schools are voting this week and next and the deadline for submission of results is 10pm on Thursday 7 May. The final nationwide result will then be calculated and announced early the following week.

To date, they estimate that over 250,000 young people are taking an active role in the 2015 Mock Elections with more joining each day as the election draws nearer. Schools are highlighting key moments in their Mock Election campaign by sharing photos, videos, and documents via the blog at mockelectionsuk.tumblr.com on Twitter or other social media using the hashtag #mockelections2015.  

www.mockelections.co.uk  / mockelectionsuk.tumblr.com