These opportunities have been compiled by UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU).

Take a look at the KEU’s webhub of information and resources for researchers. 

These opportunities and resources have been sent to members of the KEU’s informal network for knowledge mobilisers, for circulation to the research community. Find out more about the network.

Jump to:

Select committees currently accepting written evidence (compiled 30 October 2024)

Please click the title of any inquiry listed below to be taken to a summary of that inquiry and the full call for evidence. Remember that you don’t have to answer every question posed in each call for evidence.

All inquiries currently accepting written evidence:

Why should I engage? 

Submitting evidence to a select committee can lead to further engagement, such as an invitation to give oral evidence. Your submission will be published on the Committee webpage. Your insights may inform the Committee’s conclusions or the recommendations it makes to the Government. Find out more about why to engage with Parliament. You can also read more on engagement for impact.

More information
Explore all select committee inquiries currently open for submissions of written evidence. 

Resources
Find guidance on submitting evidence to select committees on the KEU’s ‘how to guides’ page. Watch our 30 minute online training session “How to work with select committees”

Parliament for Researchers with Baroness Bull – a focus on the arts

Baroness Bull, a long-time champion of the arts, will discuss the value of academic research in Parliament, informed by her background in the research sector and extensive career in the creative industries.

We are also delighted to be joined by Dr Helen McCabe, Parliament’s Thematic Research Lead for Arts and Humanities, who will share insights on the role of arts research in Parliament and how researchers in these disciplines can share their expertise. 

About the session 
During the session, you will find out how research evidence is used in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and how you can work with Parliament as a researcher. You will also be able to pose your questions to our speakers. 
 
Who is this for?  
This session is suitable for early career researchers, PhD students and researchers who are new to engaging with the UK Parliament as well as those who would benefit from a refresher. The session will be relevant for researchers of all academic backgrounds and may be of particular interest to those in the arts and humanities.  

Click here to register to attend the session which takes place from 1300-1400 on 26 November.

Midlands Innovation Fellowship – new!

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has launched two new fellowships!

The fellowships are funded by Midlands Innovation and the scheme is open to PhD students studying a subject related to biology, life sciences and social sciences within certain institutions.

Applicants must be registered, or have recently completed their PhD, at one of the following universities:

  • Aston University  
  • University of Birmingham 
  • Cranfield University 
  • University of Keele 
  • University of Leicester 
  • Loughborough University 
  • University of Warwick 

 The two successful applicants will be based in UK Parliament for 13 weeks from April 2025, supporting its use of research evidence in scrutiny and decision making. This will typically involve producing a POSTnote policy briefing which will be published on the UK Parliament website. Fellows can delve into novel and exciting areas of research, develop a unique understanding of how research informs policy in the UK Parliament, and forge relationships with key stakeholders.

Hybrid, remote working, and part-time options are available.

The successful fellows will be awarded a stipend of £7,922.50 (or a stipend-matched payment for clinical PhD fellows if higher).

To find out more details and how to apply, please click here.

We are holding an online information session about the fellowships on 11 November from 1500-1600. Please email postfellowships@parliament.uk if you would like to attend.

The deadline for applications is 27 November 2024 at 2355
Interviews will be held on 15 and 16 January 2025

An opportunity with our friends in the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is seeking to award a contract for comparative research relating to sanctions on elected members.

The SPCB is looking for desk-based research to provide information on practice and procedure in a range of other legislatures on sanctions on elected members. This research will inform the SPCB’s future consideration of this issue.

If you would like to receive information on how to submit a quotation, please email academia@parliament.scot quoting Reference: 2024-25/01/SPCB.

The deadline for quotes is 2359 on 17 November 2024

Why should I engage?
Fellowships at parliament offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to view the epicentre of policy-making from the inside. By the end of their time within their parliamentary host team fellows learn how to write for policy with balance and impartiality, how select committees are structured and run inquiries, and how research and evidence is utilised in parliament. They also develop a unique understanding of Westminster and forge important relationships with key stakeholders, while often delving into a novel and exciting topic of research or a hot policy topic. Find out more about what a POST fellowship is like and the opportunities it can lead to.

More information
Find out more about POST fellowships.
Watch an interview with a previous POST fellow to learn about her experience.

Whitaker takes on Parliament: Hurdles the Budget has to overcome to become law

The budget is a major day in Parliament’s calendar. Parliamentary approval of taxing and spending is one of the foundations of representative democracy. The procedures for passing the budget into law are somewhat different from those applying to other areas of legislation.

Immediately after the Chancellor has made their statement announcing budgetary measures, a series of motions which give provisional legal effect to some of the tax changes are agreed, under a procedure established in the 1968 Provisional Collection of Taxes Act. These motions allow for some changes to come into effect on the day of the budget, such as changes to excise duty on tobacco.
 
Ways and Means motions
Other motions, known as Ways and Means motions, must be approved by Parliament over the ten sitting days after the budget statement. These give legal effect to any new taxes or alterations to existing taxation. There are normally votes on some of these motions, allowing MPs to express their views on the major elements of the budget. Often, around four days of debate take place after the Chancellor’s budget statement.
 
The Finance Bill
Further down the line comes the Finance Bill, which provides a permanent legal basis for these changes. The Commons Treasury Select Committee normally reports on the budget before discussion of this bill begins, with the aim of furnishing MPs with analysis of the measures the government has proposed. The ability to amend the Finance Bill is normally more restricted than for other legislation and is limited by the resolutions passed after the Chancellor’s Budget statement.
 
Once the Finance Bill has passed the Commons, the House of Lords holds a second reading debate on it but does not make amendments. On the basis of the Commons’ financial privilege, the subsequent stages in the Lords are usually a formality.
 
Why isn’t the Speaker in the chair for the Budget debate?
If you have watched budget debates, you might notice that the Speaker is not in the chair. Instead, the sessions are chaired by the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, currently Nusrat Ghani MP. This is a tradition resulting partly from taxation measures in the past being set out in the Committee of Ways and Means.

Going back further, to the late 17th century, there was a view that the Speaker was too close to the monarch to be able to chair proceedings on taxation, hence these debates were presided over by the Chairman of Ways and Means.

For more information on this office, see Parliament’s description here.

So what?
Government budgets reflect the priorities and goals of the administration. By knowing these priorities, researchers can align their research questions and methodologies with the government’s agenda. This alignment can increase the chances of their research being funded and having a real-world impact.  

More information 
For more detail on budgetary procedures in Parliament see the House of Commons Library Paper on the Budget and the annual Finance Bill and this week’s edition of the Hansard Society’s Parliament Matters Bulletin.