A House of Lords committee is to question a minister tomorrow on
how Parliament can use technology to better engage with the public.
The move comes as the credibility of peers and MPs drops daily as
the expenses claims debacle unfolds.
The committee is to question Tom Watson, the digital engagement
minister, on how the House of Lords can improve public
understanding of Parliament's work and role, and how people would
like to interact with it.
The inquiry has already heard evidence from journalists,
children, web specialists and the Hansard Society. Witnesses have
said that, although Parliament's use of the internet has made
progress in recent years, much could still be improved.
Suggestions include allowing the public to comment online about
legislation going through the House of Lords. Another suggestion is
that the Lords should draw the attention of the public to new laws
that could affect them. There's also a call for tools which make
Parliamentary material more accessible to the visually
impaired.
Watson will be questioned about - how technology can enable
better engagement between Parliament and the public
- what Parliament should do to embrace social media and web 2.0
technologies to improve the ways in which it consults
- what technologies the two Houses could use to allow the public
to contribute in innovative ways to the work of Parliament
An audio stream of Watson's evidence can be
heard
live at 4.15pm from the House of Lords Information
Committee.
An
explanation of the inquiry has been posted on YouTube. Lord
Renton, chairman of the Lords' Information Committee, is facing the
camera. He asks how peers can make Parliament more interesting and
what changes need to be made.
Links
Parliament and The People inquiry continues
Information Committee's inquiry on Flickr
Parliament and The People - web forum