You and your MP

This section is designed to answer any questions you may have about the role of Paddy as your local Member of Parliament and how he can help you. See the Political Process page for some information on how Parliament and Government works.

What do MPs do?

The UK public elects Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs are involved in considering and proposing new laws, and can use their position to ask government ministers questions about current issues.

Who is a Constituent?

The UK is divided into 646 different regions called constituencies, as a person who lives within or is eligible to vote in a constituency you are known as a constituent. The size of constituencies varies according to a number of factors but on average a constituency will contain approximately 67,000 electors.

Paddy gained the right to represent Sherwood Constituency by receiving more votes than any of the other candidates at the last general election. His job is to represent his or her constituents in Parliament, whether or not they voted for him.

You only have one MP so even if you voted for one of the other candidates and you disagree with the views of your MP's party, your MP is still there to help you with all matters for which Parliament or central government is responsible.

Generally Members will only deal with issues raised by their own constituents and not with issues raised by constituents of other Members. This is because the British parliamentary system is founded on the principle that one Member represents a single constituency, and that her or his relations with constituents are very much a preserve other Members should not interfere with. Click here to check if Paddy is your local MP.

For more information about the work of MPs from the UK Parliament website click here.

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What can my MP do to help me?

MPs are able to help with matters for which Parliament or central government is responsible. Problems often arise with work carried out by central government departments and your MP will be able to help you with areas such as:

Tax problems involving the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise Departments
Problems dealt with by the Department of Health such as hospitals and the National Health Service
Problems dealt with by the Department for Work and Pensions such as benefits, pensions and national insurance
Problems dealt with by the Home Office such as immigration and matters such as school closures and grants which are dealt with by theDepartment for Education and Skills (but not day to day problems involving schools which are run by their governors and your local education authority)

Ways Paddy could potentially deal with problems of his constituents would be:

A letter to the relevant department or official.
A letter to the Minister involved.
Making an appointment to see the Minister personally.

Many problems (but not all) can be solved in this way. The Minister may not be able to give the answer you want to hear but if the decision has been made in the correct way there may be little that he can do. If you feel there has been unnecessary delay or maladministration Paddy may be able to take your case to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman carry out independent investigations into complaints about UK government departments and their agencies, and the NHS in England.

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What else can my MP do?

If Paddy is not satisfied with the answers he receives he may raise the issue in the House of Commons in front of the public and press. This can be done through:

Oral / written questions
Ministers answer questions from MPs at the Dispatch Box during Departmental Question Time but there is a limit to the number of questions that can be asked. Paddy may also table a written question to the relevant Government department, the answers to which are published in Hansard (Hansard (the Official Report) is the edited verbatim report of proceedings in both Houses).

If you visit the Articles/Speeches page you can see the questions raised by Paddy, or click here for a full list of questions, statements and debate contributions and by MP.

Adjournment Debates
Paddy may be able to raise your problem in a half-hour Adjournment Debate which is usually the last business of the day, although to raise a matter, he must be successful in a ballot or have the subject chosen by the Speaker.

Westminster Hall Debates
A Westminster Hall debate is similar to an adjournment debate but does not take place in the main chamber but in a large committee room. The seating plan is a horseshoe arrangement and therefore less confrontational than the main chamber. A Deputy Speaker presides over proceedings and no votes take place.

Early Day Motions (EDM)
EDM’s are motions tabled by MPs for debate “on an early date” ie no date has been fixed. Very few if any EDMs are actually debated, there is simply not enough time within Parliament but they can be useful for drawing attention to an issue and to gauge the support of fellow MPs by the number who sign them. Click here for the EDM Database to look up specific EDM's.

Private Member's Bill
If Paddy becomes aware that your problem is a common one he may try to introduce a Private Member's Bill which is a Bill put forward by an individual MP, as opposed to a Government Minister. Only a very small number of Private Member's Bills are successful and it is not something to be undertaken lightly, but publicity is drawn to the issue and the Minister may be persuaded to make changes in the future.

Paddy presenting a petition to the then Home Secretary about mini motos

Petition
If you and other people feel very strongly about a certain issue you may decide to organise a petition to the House of Commons. Your petition can only be presented by Paddy as your MP and must be arranged in a particular format. You can obtain advice on petitions by writing to:

Clerk of Public Petitions
Journal Office
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

e-petitions
You can now both create and sign petitions on the No10 website, giving you the opportunity to reach a potentially wider audience and to deliver your petition directly to Downing Street.

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Confidentiality of personal information

As a Member of Parliament Paddy and his staff operate within the provision of The Data Protection Act 1998 along with the Processing of Sensitive Personal Data (Electoral Representatives) Order 2002. SI 2002 No 2905.

Links

Here are some links which I hope you will find useful:

Register to Vote helps you register to vote and to find out about elections across the UK
Follow this link to Notts County Council website to register for a postal vote, the site tells you how to contact your local council to register for your postal vote
The Fabian Society - the Society's programme aims to explore the political ideas and the policy reforms which will define progressive politics in the future.
Local Government Ombudsmen -investigate complaints about councils and certain other bodies. They investigate complaints about most council matters including housing, planning, education and social services. It is an independent, impartial and free service. The Ombudsmen can investigate complaints about how the council has done something but they cannot question what a council has done simply because someone does not agree with it.
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