These opportunities and resources have been compiled by UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) to help you understand how to engage with Parliament as a researcher.

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

Jump to:

Select committees currently accepting written evidence (compiled 20 November 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.

New calls for evidence launched since 20 November 2024:

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”

CLOSING SOON: Register your interest in the Commons Library Open Day 2025

We are pleased to invite librarians, library staff, and information officers to the House of Commons Library Open Day 2025.  

During this full day event, visitors will have chance to learn more about the impartial and important work of the House of Commons Library.  The day will include interactive talks, networking opportunities, and the rare chance to see the House of Commons Library in its Palace of Westminster setting.    

You can find more information about the Library and the range of services offered on the Commons Library website. 

Attending the event
The open day is on Wednesday 19 February 2025, it is anticipated to begin around 10am and finish around 4.30pm, the detailed schedule and exact timings will be provided to successful applicants.

Who can attend the open day?
The open day is specifically aimed at people working in the library and information field, including:

  • Librarians and Assistant Librarians
  • Information Officers/Advisors/Analysts
  • Knowledge Management Officers
  • Researchers  

As there are a limited number of places available, successful applications will be selected based on reasons given for attending and to achieve a diverse and inclusive group.

Cost
The cost of the open day will be £35 and will include refreshments and lunch.

To register your interest
To register your interest, please complete the application form and submit it by Sunday 24th November, 23:00.

Open Day application form

Unfortunately, completing the application form does not guarantee you a place due to popular demand. Successful applicants will be notified by 9th December and sent a link to confirm their place and make the payment by either a credit or debit card. If you do not hear from us by then, please assume that we have not been able to offer you a place.

Meet Parliament’s Thematic Research Leads: Dr Helen McCabe (arts and humanities)

In this new feature we’ll introduce you to one of our eight Thematic Research Leads (TRLs) each week.  

Since 2023 Parliament and UKRI have partnered to bring in two groups of mid-career researchers to support Parliament’s research engagement in identified thematic areas. The TRLs join us in parliament for three days per week whilst maintaining their substantive research role during the rest of their working week. TRLs provide:  

  • strategic support for the production and delivery of research evidence for Parliament, within a broad policy area
  • activities to support the development of a research and innovation landscape that facilitates and encourages knowledge exchange between Parliament and the research community
  • participate in a network of Thematic Research Leads to share intelligence and insights across policy areas and support collaborative approaches to policy. 

This week we’re featuring Dr Helen McCabe, the Thematic Research Lead for Arts and Humanities. 

Dr Helen McCabe is the TRL for Arts and Humanities, her research background sits within political philosophy.

Helen specifically works on life and activity of the philosopher, politician and economist John Stuart Mill (and his writing collaboration with Harriet Taylor Mill) and leads work on forced marriage and honour-based abuse at the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab, an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to ending modern slavery by 2030.  

Helen has approached the connection between forced marriage and modern slavery from a philosophical, legal, and survivor-informed angle, including the questions around data and the prevalence of forced marriage, and the impact of Covid-19 and/or climate change on forced marriage risk. She also leads work on collaborating with survivors, particularly using arts-based methods to support community development and leadership.  

As TRL for Arts and Humanities Helen is based within the Knowledge Exchange Unit, part of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. Since joining us as TRL, she has authored Horizon Scans connected to local communities and access to democracy, and on access to the Arts. She is currently looking at mapping and understanding the use of Arts and Humanities research across Parliament. This includes forming wider external networks of researchers from these disciplines and understanding the needs of researchers within these disciplines who seek to engage with UK Parliament.

Helen is keen to hear about arts and humanities research which may be of interest to Parliament. If you would like to introduce yourself and your research to Helen, please fill out this form. Helen may not be able to respond to all introductions. However, please know your contact has been received and is valued. Helen will note your expertise area and store your contact details in line with our privacy policy ready to get in touch when Parliament is focussing on your research topic.

Thank you to everyone who has already introduced their research to Helen. If you filled out the form we shared previously, there is no need to resubmit your details.

Why should I engage? 
Thematic Research Leads (TRLs) are prestigious and influential roles, designed in partnership with UKRI to facilitate and enhance the use of research evidence and expertise in Parliament through effective knowledge exchange and collaboration. Introducing yourself to the new TRLs is a great opportunity to be involved in their work.

More information: Find out more about our Thematic Research Lead programme. Read about the work of our first cohort of TRLs:

Attend our next Parliament for Researchers with Baroness Harding (AI and digital)

In our upcoming Parliament for Researchers online training event, Baroness Harding, will discuss the value of academic research in Parliament, informed by her background in digital infrastructure.

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 AI and digital infrastructure related topics.  

How to register
Click here to register to attend. The session will take place on Tuesday 17 December, 13:00-14:00.

Why should I engage? Parliament for Researchers with the House of Lords training sessions offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the UK Parliament and how it uses research from the perspective of a Member of the House of Lords. The sessions also contain practical information and advice on how to engage with Parliament as a researcher, including details on select committees, the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries, POST, and working with individual Parliamentarians.

More information: Find out about upcoming sessions and how to sign up here. You can also find recordings of previous training sessions here.

Whitaker takes on Parliament: the King’s Speech

Or, as Professor Rick Whitaker calls it, the Government’s policy agenda and its implications for what MPs will be focusing on in the current parliamentary session

The vast bulk of the legislative agenda with which MPs have to deal comes from government bills. The government’s priorities can be seen in the King’s Speech, which sets out its legislative agenda for the current session of Parliament. The most recent King’s speech was given in mid July and much of it fits with priorities set out in the governing Labour Party’s 2024 election manifesto. The government’s briefing paper on the speech, provides more detail of its plans. To some extent, select committees react to these priorities by setting up inquiries on topics prioritised by the government. We are now seeing the first inquiries being launched by the newly formed select committees. In addition, as bills pass through the legislative process, interested MPs will express opinions in debates and offer amendments to government bills.

Economic stability and growth
One of the highest government priority areas according to Labour’s manifesto and the amount of bills proposed in the King’s Speech on the topic, is economic stability and growth. On this subject, among the select committee inquiries to have been launched already is the House of Commons’ Finance select committee’s inquiry in to the 2024 Budget. The Business and Trade committee is looking at the recently introduced Employment Rights Bill, about to begin its committee stage in the Commons.

Energy and home affairs
The government has also introduced the Great British Energy Bill, something in which the Energy and Net Zero committee among others may well be interested at some point in the current parliamentary term. In the realm of Home Affairs, the government has proposed bills on border security, crime and policing, and terrorism (with a focus on the protection of premises). Look out for any Home Affairs select committee inquiries on these or related topics.

Draft bills on leasehold reform, equality, and conversion practices
The King’s Speech referred to three bills that the government will publish in draft form. Draft bills are normally considered by committees in the Commons and Lords, which will take evidence as part of their scrutiny of the proposed laws. This can be a good opportunity to bring academic research to the attention of MPs scrutinising a specific bill in a situation where more time is available than in public bill committees. The draft bills promised by the government in the current session are the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which aims to provide for equal pay for ethnic minorities and disabled people, and the Draft Conversion Practices Bill. According to the government, the latter bill will ban conversion practices not covered by current legislation.

Health
Another priority area signalled by the King’s Speech is health. Here the government has brought back, in altered form, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. A version of this was introduced by the previous government but did not make it through the legislative process before the general election. The bill will restrict the marketing and sale of vapes and gradually increase the age at which people can purchase cigarettes. A Mental Health bill has also been introduced by the government in the House of Lords, aimed at amending the 1983 Mental Health Act.

Constitution
On the constitutional side of things, the government’s House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is already making its way through the legislative process. This will stop hereditary peers from being permitted to sit in the House of Lords. A second bill aimed at the upper house – the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill, is in progress. This extends the period of time during which vacancies for positions in the Lords held by Bishops are to be filled by women. One important topic referred to in the Labour Party’s election manifesto but on which no legislation has yet been proposed is votes for 16-year-olds. Relevant select committees might want to look into this topic before any legislation appears, so this is something to look out for.

Beyond the King’s Speech…
Select committees have the freedom to launch inquiries on any topics within their remit. Some of those announced by the new committees are on areas not covered by the King’s Speech. These include adult social care reform and the cost of inaction in this area (Health and Social Care committee) and an inquiry by the Housing, Communities and Local Government committee on children in temporary accommodation. The Public Accounts Committee has initiated a series of inquiries including on dangerous cladding on buildings and improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children.

More information: