The best of the parliaments

This new section of ConservativeHome is an experiment.  We hope that it will bring some of the efforts of Conservative parliamentarians - both frontbenchers and backbenchers - to wider attention.  This page will highlight questions, speeches, Early Day Motions and other contributions from MPs, members of the House of Lords, MEPs, Members of the Scottish Parliament and Members of the Welsh Assembly (we know it's not quite a Parliament btw!).  We'll also attempt to offer some coverage of the London Assembly.

So much valuable work happens in Parliament that goes unnoticed.  Below, for example, we highlight David Davies' question and the fact that only 1 in nearly 6,000 knife offenders were given the maximum sentence.  At Work & Pensions questions Chris Grayling noted the rate of youth unemployment is higher today than in 1997.  Peter Hain doesn't, of course, answer his question.

The other pages on ConservativeHome are more than enough to keep the CH team busy so we're completely dependent upon parliamentarians themselves and their staff emailing us with the information that this site will need to prosper.  The email contact points are here and here.  Please use both when sending in information.

It's our small attempt to acknowledge the importance of parliamentary life.  If we aren't fed by parliamentarians and their staff, however, we'll probably shut this page down by this time next week!

Please leave any thoughts about this initiative in the comments thread below.  In order to ensure this new site does not become too time-consuming we won't be allowing comments on this site otherwise... or is that unreasonable?

Comments

[Alan S]

A brilliant idea. The newspapers stopped covering Parliament long ago. Coverage is now reduced to silly sketches; sometimes funny, sometimes not. I hope MPs cooperate with you on this. This is another area where the blogosphere can fill the gaps being left by the trivia-obsessed mainstream media. Just look at The Times; all health scares and no serious analysis.

[Richard Lowe]

Superb idea. Today for the first time I decided to and read parts of Hansard from yesterday, but clearly there's far too much to read!

I read somewhere, I think Tony Benn's granddaughter, about a daily/weekly digest of what's gone on in the Commons? Directions to sites gratefully received!

[kingbongo]

A fantastic initiative - Con Home now really is getting better and better (just like the tory party!)

[Scotty]

This is a fantastic idea! I am a bit of a political anorak and like popping over to the BBC Parliamentary channel to see what is going on daily in the HoC, you do sometimes see great debates from front bencher's and the backbench MP's which never see the light of day on the news slots.
You sometimes see classic moments as well, not least Wendy Alexander's face when she is flicked away by Alex Salmond in the most nonchalant way for being so ill prepared. The problem with many of these Brownies is that they are over rated and over promoted.

[Editor]

Thank you everone - particularly kingbongo (I know you haven't always been a fan of everything that CH does!).

[John Leonard]

Excellent. I echo the support for this section. The more information about the work of the Parliamentary team there is the better.

[James Hind]

Great initiative. Attendance of Select Committees would also be interesting as absence of Cons members noticeable

[Malcolm Dunn]

A very good idea. Many of our Mps and ministers work very hard (Tim Loughton is a good example) and are completely ignored by the media. Their work shouldn't go unheralded.
Equally there may be some in our parliamentary party who tend toward laziness. This site should keep them on their toes!

[E Justice]

The heading at the top of your page says it all U.K. E.U.Scotland and Wales havn't you forgotten a country ?you know the one?the one that you are depending on to vote you in
Shame on the lot of you ,Traitors all!

[Editor]

If there was an English Parliament, E Justice, we would cover its deliberations but there isn't!

[James Maskell]

A good addition to CH that I fully welcome. I am sad enough to trawl through Hansard each day, so its good to see more done to improve its visibility.

[E Justice]

Editor
My point exactly,why aren't the Conservatives pushing for a one?

[Londoner]

Good initiative. As well as researchers etc giving you stuff, any keen Hansard (or Parl channel) anoraks should submit stuff (factual as to interesting things that have gone on, not opinion on them). An easy and very visible way to do this should be put in.

I agree that it is right not to have comments. if people want to comment they should do so on your general daily thread and if anything is creating a particular stir you will no doubt pick it up in the diary etc.

[IRJMilne]

E Justice - regardless of whether the Tories pushed for a bloody English parliament, why would it have coverage here before it even exists?

The answer to the West Lothian Question is, of course, to abolish Labour's stupid and ill conceived devolution outright.

[Comstock]

Would it not make sense to date your entries, rather than just time them?

[Deputy Editor]

It would Comstock, your wish is our command!