Select committees currently accepting written evidence (compiled 3 September 2025)

New calls for evidence:

All other inquiries currently accepting written evidence:

*Please note that contributing to the Fan-Led Review of Music involves completing a survey rather than submitting 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 recommendations it makes to the Government. Find out more about why to engage with Parliament here. And find more on engagement for impact here. 

What should I expect? All evidence will be read and taken into consideration, but you may not receive a direct response from us or the Committee. To stay informed, we encourage you to follow the progress on the respective committee / inquiry webpages.

More information: all inquiries currently accepting evidence are found here  
Guidance on submitting evidence to Commons select committees
Guidance on submitting evidence to Lords select committees

ICYMI: Come and be our new Knowledge Exchange Manager

In case you missed our special announcement last week, the Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) is looking for a new team member!

This is an exciting opportunity to join our small, friendly team at the heart of Parliament and work on connecting the UK Parliament with the research community.

What you’ll be doing

As a Knowledge Exchange Manager, you’ll lead and contribute to a variety of exciting projects, from coordinating academic placements and and supporting parliamentary stakeholders to access research expertise, to creating new knowledge exchange resources and initiatives.

You’ll work with stakeholders across Parliament and the research sector, including academics, funders, parliamentary staff and Parliamentarians.

Working arrangements

This is a 9 month fixed term role, with the possibility of extension/permanency. This role is offered on a hybrid working basis, with an expectation of you spending 40% of your time in the office. We welcome applications from candidates looking for secondment opportunities.

We offer a range of flexible working options and actively encourage applications from candidates expressing a wish to perform the role in a flexible working arrangement such as part-time working, job-share and compressed hours. 

How to apply

You can find out more about the role, including information on how to apply, on our recruitment portal. The deadline for applications is 21 September 2025, 23.55.

Why should I apply? This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of Parliament (in what we think is the best team in Parliament!). We are the team that bridges research and Parliament, and we usually do it with a smile and a healthy dose of gifs… though non-gif lovers are also equally welcome in the team! 

More information: Find out more about the role and submit an application on our recruitment portal by 21 September 2025, 23:55. 

New POSTnotes: share your research insights

During summer recess the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) announced the next set of research briefings they are preparing to inform parliamentarians. These evidence based impartial briefings cover topical issues where the research evidence is emerging or particularly complex. They are widely used by MPs, members of the House of Lords, and parliamentary staff to understand and inform the latest research ahead of debates, and to inform select committee inquiries and to find experts.

POST would like to hear from researchers with relevant findings or expertise in the newly announced briefing areas (listed below). They welcome hearing from researchers from all disciplines so don’t be put off contributing if you don’t feel you fall within the science or social science disciplines.  

Sharing your research findings to contribute to POST’s work can be a time-efficient way to get your research in front of parliamentarians. To tell us about your work please share your personal details and a brief summary of your expertise and key issues relevant to the briefing topic via the links below. 

What happens when I share my research insights?
POST carefully reviews and considers the research information you provide. It draws on the research that fits best with the briefing and references this research in the publication. POST sometimes also contacts contributors to obtain further information. It is not possible to discuss individual contributions, and not all submissions will be used nor researchers contacted. Rest assured POST will reach out to you should they need further information. There is also no need to highly polish the wording when you share your research insights. POST rewords all submissions to fit seamlessly within the published briefing. All submissions used will be credited in the publication which will be available online with open access on POST’s website: https://post.parliament.uk/. 

For guidance or to find out more about how POST acknowledges contributions browse the webpage: contributing to POST research as an expert. 

New briefings open for contributions

  • The effects of artificial intelligence on UK employment
  • Data centres and their sustainability
  • Management of legacy landfill pollution
  • Access to justice: legal aid and services
  • Improving outcomes and support for looked after children and their families
  • Surrogacy: current practice and proposed reforms
  • Technology alternatives to animals in life sciences research
  • Diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases

The full scope of each briefing follows below. 

For further support contact POST@parliament.uk.

New POSTnote: The effects of artificial intelligence on UK employment

Developments in areas such as large language models are driving the adoption of AI. How is this likely to influence the types of jobs available in the future?

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 14 September 2025 
  • Please contribute to this POSTnote via this form 
  • Publication is expected in December 2025 

Research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology estimates that by 2035, approximately 10 million workers will be in jobs where AI will be part of their role or responsibilities. AI has the potential to improve productivity and increase UK GDP.  

However, AI also has the potential to displace human workers. PWC estimated that around 18% of existing UK jobs could face a “high” probability of automation (greater than a 70% chance of automation) over the next 10 years. 

This POSTnote will assess: 

  • the key capabilities and applications of AI tools most likely to shape the jobs of the future  
  • evidence for how AI is likely to effect the types of jobs available 
  • potential policy implications, for example, for UK employment, education, training and inequality 
  • current UK Government activities to harness the opportunities and mitigate the disadvantages of these changes 
  • further policy options for addressing these issues, including approaches being taken internationally. 

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form.

New POSTnote: Data Centres and their sustainability

Data centres are critical infrastructure for digital activity in the UK. What drives their growth, and what are the environmental challenges?

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 14 September 2025 
  • Please contribute to this POSTnote via this form 
  • Publication is expected in December 2025 

Data centres are critical infrastructure for digital activity across the public and private sectors, and are vital to AI, cloud computing, and internet connectivity. An increasing use of digital information is leading to greater demand for data centre capacity. 

In 2025, the UK data centre industry was ranked 3rd globally, and over 2% of UK energy is currently used for data centres. Large technology companies plan to invest £25 billion in UK data centres in the next three to five years.  

This POSTnote will outline what data centres are, and the factors driving UK demand. It will provide an overview of the UK data centre industry, including possible economic benefits, and look at potential enablers and barriers to establishing new data centres, such as planning legislation, and the availability of land.  

This project will consider possible environmental challenges, such as water use, large energy demands, and the creation of micro-climates. It will also consider what options are available for mitigation, such as green energy usage, and the reuse of waste heat.

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form.

New POSTnote: Management of legacy landfill pollution

What is the scale of the pollution challenges arising from legacy landfill, also known as old, historic, or closed landfill, in the UK?

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 5 September 2025 
  • Please contribute to this POSTnote via this form
  • Publication is expected in December 2025 

The Environment Agency define legacy landfills as one where there is no Pollution Prevention and Control permit or waste management licence currently in force. Some 80% of the British population lives within 2 km of known landfill sites in Great Britain, with the most deprived parts of the country containing five times more old landfills as a proportion of their area.  

Before the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive, the UK practiced co-disposal, where hazardous and non-hazardous wastes were mixed and disposed of in the same landfill sites. There are more than 21,000 old landfills across England and Wales, of which 1,287 are currently categorised as containing hazardous waste. 

Since the withdrawal of the national contaminated land fund in 2017, some local authorities have stated they do not have the resources to manage sites. This POSTnote will outline the evidence for environmental hazards arising from legacy landfill sites that may pose risks to human health and mitigation options. 

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form. 

New POSTnote: Access to justice: legal aid and services

How can legal aid services better address the needs of vulnerable populations? In what ways can legal aid and related services enhance systemic efficiency in the justice sector? 

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 28 September 2025 
  • Please contribute to this POSTnote via this form
  • Publication is expected in December 2025

The provision of legal services changed following the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Evidence indicates impacts have included increased self-representation in legal matters and barriers to legal services, particularly for vulnerable groups due to factors such as barriers to digitalisation, language barriers or eligibility criteria. With recent announcements of Government funding in legal aid, and the 2025 cyberattacks of the Legal Aid Agency, some stakeholders suggest further reforms and technological innovations to support aid services could relieve system pressures. 

This POSTnote will summarise the existing evidence on the access to legal aid and quality of service provision in relevant justice settings. It will assess how legal aid services meet the needs of vulnerable populations and consider compare outcomes for those with and without legal representation. 

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form.

New POSTnote: Improving outcomes and support for looked after children and their families

What interventions have the most significant impact on improving outcomes for looked-after children? How can we better support vulnerable children to achieve improved outcomes? 

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 28 September 2025 
  • Please contribute to this POSTnote via this form
  • Publication is expected in December 2025 

Data shows that looked-after-children, or children in care, may have poorer outcomes in later life, regarding education, wellbeing and interactions with the justice system. Evidence indicates that children in care face a higher risk of entering the criminal justice system compared to their peers. In England, one in three care-experienced children has received a caution or conviction. Custodial sentences are at least eight times more prevalent among looked-after children (LAC). Research from the What Works for Children’s Social Care has identified children in care as a group at risk of poor educational outcomes. Longitudinal data studies reveal that the effectiveness of interventions may vary based on the intended outcomes and the demographics of the children involved. 

This POSTnote aims to provide an overview of recent research studies regarding the outcomes for LAC. It will identify effective support interventions that can help reduce the risks of unfavourable life outcomes, particularly in areas such as education, justice, mental health, and employment. The briefing will also discuss vulnerable and at-risk groups, such as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, as well as support for families and parents separated from children in care. Additionally, it will outline future policy considerations to improve outcomes and support for looked-after children along with their families. 

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to this project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form.

New POSTnote: Surrogacy: current practice and proposed reforms

What reforms have been proposed to surrogacy law, and what are the ethical, social and medical considerations?

  • Deadline for contributions: 23.55 on the 5 October 2025 
  • Contributions can be submitted via this form 
  • Publication is expected in January 2026  

Many stakeholders consider UK surrogacy law (Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985) to be outdated. In 2023, the Law Commission of England and Wales/ Scottish Law Commission published a report outlining proposed reforms to surrogacy law, including a new regulatory pathway for domestic surrogacy arrangements, and new rules on payments that intended parents may make to the surrogate.  

This POSTnote will describe current surrogacy practice in the UK, and suggestions for reform. It will consider research evidence and stakeholder views on surrogacy practice in the UK and internationally. It will discuss ethical, social and medical considerations, such as access to surrogacy, and the rights of surrogates, intended parents, and children.  

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form.

New POSTnote: Technology alternatives to animals in life sciences research

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 28 September 2025 
  • Contributions can be submitted via this form 
  • Publication is expected in December 2025 

The government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan discusses ongoing efforts to replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research. It also notes a government commitment to phase out animal testing in partnership with scientists, industry, and civil society, with a strategy for supporting alternative methods to be published in 2025. 

This project will outline the latest developments in replacement technologies, such as computer models, organoids and the use of human cell cultures to create “organs-on-chip”. It will summarise the extent to which these technologies accurately and usefully replicate the biological complexity of human bodies, and barriers and opportunities for their adoption.  

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. Please note, this project will not cover techniques used in animal testing or associated ethical issues. We will only consider contributions focused on technology alternatives. 

To contribute to this research, please complete this form. 

New POSTnote: Diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases

What are the challenges associated with the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases, and with the coordination of and access to treatment and care? 

  • Deadline for contributions: 23:55 on the 3 October 2025 
  • Contributions can be submitted via this form 
  • Publication is expected in March 2026

Rare genetic diseases are individually uncommon but collectively affect an estimated 2.8 million people in the UK. Although rare genetic diseases are dissimilar to one another, there are common challenges in their diagnosis and treatment. 

The UK Rare Diseases Framework, published by the Department of Health and Social Care, outlines how the lives of people with rare diseases can be improved. It is due to be updated in 2026. 

This project will outline the latest developments in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases, including genome sequencing. It will consider new technologies to treat rare genetic diseases, including cell and gene therapies, and the coordination of and access to these treatments. 

POST welcomes information on issues relevant to the project. This project will not focus on issues relating to orphan drugs as these are covered in a Rapid Response. 

To contribute to this research, please complete this form.

Why should I engage? POSTnotes are used by Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and UK Parliament staff to navigate complex research. Contributing to a POSTnote is a good way of feeding your expertise into the UK Parliament as part of a trusted, impartial publication. All contributors are acknowledged when the POSTnote is published. On publication, you and your organisation’s communications team will be notified to publicise the POSTnote and your contribution. Therefore, your contribution can help raise your profile and promote your research. 

What should I expect? All submissions will be read and taken into consideration, but you may not receive a direct response. To stay informed about POST’s work we encourage you to subscribe to receive notifications of publications and new research briefings. 

More information: Find out more about contributing to a POSTnote as an expert. For queries about POST or POSTnotes contact POST.

Last chance: UKRI policy internships

Funded placements are available to current or recent PhD students to intern at UK Parliament within POST, a select committee, or the House of Commons or House of Lords Libraries. An online information session will be held on Thursday 3 July for prospective applicants. Email post@parliament.uk to book to attend the information session.

These internships are part of the wider UKRI scheme: view the full range of hosts for the Policy Internships scheme – it includes parliamentary teams, government departments and non-governmental bodies, learned societies and other organisations. Look through the detailed information about all the UKRI Policy Internships. Or access more information on the internships based in POST. Information on the funding arrangements is in the applicant guidance (Annex A).

To apply, review the UKRI Policy Internships scheme guidance for applicants (including Annex B) before completing the application form. Applications will be assessed by the host organisation. The deadline to apply is Tuesday 8 September 2025, 16:00. Interviews (for the UK Parliament hosted internships) will be held online from 6 October onwards.

KEUnique figures

We’re incredibly excited to welcome a new member to our team (see our recruitment for the Knowledge Exchange Manager role above)! To celebrate we thought you might like some facts about your Knowledge Exchange Unit this week. Here we are in numbers: 

Nine is the most frequently guessed number of team members the KEU has when we ask researchers how big they think our team is. However, we’re actually a close knit team with four members at our peak capacity! We work across all sections of both Houses of Parliament and get to collaborate with brilliant minds, respond to fast-paced policy needs, and help shape evidence-informed decision-making at the heart of UK democracy. 

1162 is the number of people who responded to a POST survey in 2017 exploring academics’ barriers to engaging with UK Parliament. Those 1162 voices helped influence the events of 2018… 

2018… the KEU started in 2018 with the equivalent of 1.6 people and funding from the ESRC.

Fast forward seven years…  

In the first six months of 2025 we: 

  • helped parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to find experts and access research to address their evidence needs through 142 knowledge exchange actions 
  • delivered  61 external events to enhance research-policy communication 
  • highlighted 420 select committee inquiries for researchers to engage with 
  • reached 5,416  researchers and knowledge mobilisers through our weekly newsletter, the Round Up 

So what?
First off, here’s a huge thank you from us to you, we couldn’t do this without you. 

Your engagement through the KEU has helped shape decisions and debates in parliament through timely, relevant expertise. You’ve contributed to grounding policy not just in facts, but in the broader context — including lived experience, societal impact, and the nuances behind the data. 

Many researchers have brought in fresh perspectives and translated complex research into accessible insights, making it come alive and showing its relevance to communities across the UK. 

And, through select committee engagement, researchers have provided critical insight, transparency, and challenge – helping the UK Parliament hold government and institutions to account on matters that affect lives both in the UK and globally. 

So, it’s pretty awesome here. 

If you’re passionate about research, want to ensure researchers don’t miss their chance to engage with and inform decision makers, and if you fancy being part of the KEU numbers – we’d love to hear from you! 

 Join us and help shape the future of knowledge exchange in the UK Parliament! 

More information
Apply for the Knowledge Exchange Manager role. You can even join us on a temporary secondment, retaining the job security of your substantive role and wowing them with your insider understanding of the parliamentary policy world.