Select committees currently accepting written evidence (compiled 18 December 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 11 December 2024:

All other 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”

Meet Parliament’s Thematic Research Leads: Dr Ruth Lamont (Crime and Justice)

Dr Ruth Lamont is the UK Parliament’s Thematic Research Lead for Crime and Justice based in the Home Affairs, Human Rights, Equality and Justice Hub. She is a Reader in Child and Family Law at the University of Manchester, having previously held lectureships at the University of Sheffield and the University of Liverpool. Her research expertise lies in the law as it affects families and children, particularly where the families have international links. Her work has considered the impact of domestic abuse and equality obligations on international families, including within the context of child abduction in the EU, public law child protection and the role of children’s rights. This work informed support provided for the scrutiny of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. Alongside colleagues Ruth has addressed the constitutional status and powers of commissioners. 

Ruth’s research has contributed to the work of the UK Justice Select Committee in relation to Brexit, where Ruth gave oral evidence on the impact on civil justice, and she has contributed evidence to select committee investigations on mediation and legal aid. Further, Ruth’s work has been referred to in argument before the English courts and has been cited by the Court of Justice of the European Union. In 2024, she was an invited participant at the Hague Conference on Private International Law meeting on child abduction and domestic abuse, discussing the law relating to family relocation. In recent work Ruth has considered the historical evolution of the law and legal process including the forced migration of children to Canada during the nineteenth century and how this practice informed modern legal frameworks for child protection. She was part of the team on the UKRI ESRC-funded project on the history of access to justice for victims of crime, responsible for the research into the changing role of the victim in the criminal trial, the development of the CPS, and the current law and policy in relation to victims of crime.

Within parliament Ruth has supported the launch of the Home Affairs, Human Rights, Equality and Justice Hub and is currently assisting the establishment of the new Justice Select Committee alongside recommending experts for the Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee inquiries. Ruth has prepared two UK Parliament horizon scans; one on victims and their treatment by the justice system, and another on court capacity and the relationship between the courts and the legislature. Ruth has made strong connections with the Hansard team and enjoys attending debates in the chambers. 

Ruth is keen to hear about Crime and Justice research which may be of interest to parliament. If you would like to introduce yourself and your research to Ruth, please fill out this form. Ruth may not be able to respond to all introductions. However, please know your contact has been received and is valued. Ruth will note your expertise area and store your contact details in line with our privacy policy ready to get in touch when parliament’s business touches upon your research topic.

Thank you to everyone who has already introduced themselves or their research to Ruth. 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, ensure they’re aware of your expertise, and a way for parliamentarians and other parliamentary research users to access your research.

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

Community mental health – call for case studies

The Health and Social Care Committee has launched an inquiry into community mental health services, focussing on adults with severe mental illness in particular. The inquiry will:

  • examine what good looks like from the perspective of service users and their families/carers
  • consider how service users’ wider health and social needs can be addressed, including in employment and housing
  • assess what policy interventions are required to improve how these needs are met
  • assess to what extent the Community Mental Health Framework is driving improvements in the delivery of more integrated, person-centred care

The committee is particularly keen to hear from researchers who can share case studies of innovative practice and high-quality care within community mental health services across the country. 

If you have expertise on this topic please submit evidence or a case study to this inquiry, this link provides the full range of questions which researchers can respond to. Remember, only include evidence on the aspects of the inquiry your research or expertise links to closely, you do not have to respond to all of the questions set by the committee. 

Both written evidence and the case studies can be submitted through the evidence link.  

You can read more about the inquiry and how to submit written evidence here. Remember that you don’t have to answer every question posed in the call for evidence.

You can submit evidence until Tuesday 4 February 2025.

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. Read the terms of reference for the community mental health services inquiry. 

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”

The Commons of Christmas Past

This guest fact was written by Dr Helen McCabe, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, and the Thematic Research Lead for Arts & Humanities at UK Parliament. 

Did you know the first dedicated ‘House of Commons’ was housed in St Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster?  

St Stephen’s Day is traditionally celebrated in Western Christian Churches on 26 December (Boxing Day) and St Stephen’s Chapel was the King’s Chapel in Westminster Palace, built during the reigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III (1239-1327). During the Reformation, it ceased to be a place of worship, and became the meeting place for the House of Commons. MPs sat in benches where the choir stalls once stood, and the Speaker sat where the altar had been.

In 1834, St Stephen’s Chapel burned to the ground. If you visit Parliament today you will pass through the rebuilt St Stephen’s Hall on the site of the previous chapel. However, for a glimpse into the past, researchers at the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture at the University of York worked in 2013-2017 on an interdisciplinary AHRC-funded project about the original St Stephens, in partnership with the Houses of Parliament, and supported by the History of Parliament Trust. The Virtual St Stephen’s project includes visualisations and recordings of music composed for the Chapel when it was a place of worship.  

If you visit Parliament in person, or take a virtual tour, you will be treated to ‘New Dawn’, a contemporary sculpture by Mary Branson, which commemorates the 150-year long campaign for women’s suffrage. It is displayed in Westminster Hall, at the entrance to St Stephen’s Chapel, to recognise the location where the suffragettes protested and lobbied MPs for the right to vote.  

So what?

If you are a researcher in Art History, History, Law, Curation, Decorative Arts, Museum Studies, or a wide range of other disciplines, you might be interested in learning more about, and working with, the Parliamentary Heritage Collection.  

All researchers can draw upon the parliamentary archives too. Currently physical visits to the archives are restricted while it relocates to the National Archives in Kew. However, it’s still a great time to plan future work with the collections (including the archives).  

Information about how to start your research is available on this website: https://archives.parliament.uk/start-your-research/. You can also find out more about parliament’s collections, some research guides, existing online resources, and services offered by the collections to support research. You can watch videos about the collections on YouTube, and see some of parliament’s art collections at artuk.org, which might be a good source for inspiration! Finally, you can contact the heritage collections team if you have any questions about the collection, access, and/or collaboration.

More information

  • Take a virtual tour of St Stephen’s Hall (and many other areas of the palace) to see what it looks like.  

With thanks to Dr Helen McCabe, University of Nottingham, for this guest fact.

If you are an arts or humanities researcher and would like to introduce yourself and your research to Helen please complete this form to say hello to Helen. If you filled out a form to introduce yourself to Helen prior 18 December 2024, please do consider completing this new form as it contains some extra questions to help Helen connect you with relevant parliamentary opportunities.

Note on this round-up

If you have been forwarded this email and would like to get it yourself, you can subscribe directly to receive our weekly email round-up of opportunities for the research community to engage with UK Parliament. These opportunities can include calls for evidence from select committees, academic fellowship opportunities, requests for expertise from Parliament and more. You will receive the round-up each week, with some exceptions such as parliamentary recess. 

If you consider yourself a knowledge mobiliser, find out how to join our informal network of knowledge mobilisers. This is a network of people whose role includes sharing research from their institution with other sectors, or supporting researchers to share their research.