Parliament is the body that decides the law of the country and debates the way the country should be governed. Parliament consists of two chambers or houses, the Commons and the Lords. The House of Commons consists of 659 Members of Parliament and is the primary chamber. Each Member of Parliament (MP) represents one part of the country called a constituency.

Phil Hope was first elected as a Member of Parliament by the people of Corby and East Northamptonshire in 1997 and was re-elected in 2001. In an election, voters put a cross next to the name of the person they prefer on the ballot paper and put it into the ballot box. The ballot paper is a list of candidates (people who would like to be elected). In the United Kingdom there is a secret ballot, which means the person you vote for remains confidential. The polling station is where people go to vote and is normally located in a school or village hall. Most people over the age of 18 can vote and elections are normally held every 4 or 5 years.

Each MP has his or her own ideas about how the country should be run, but almost all MPs belong to a group called a political party (a group that shares the same general beliefs). Phil is a member of the Labour Party and Co-operative Party and so he is a Labour and Co-operative MP. The party with the most MPs (the majority) forms government, which since 1997 has been Labour. Only some MPs are members of the government (called Ministers) and are chosen by the Prime Minister (the leader of the governing party, which is currently The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP). Below is a list of the positions MPs take from the party with the majority:

• Cabinet Ministers (Secretaries of State) hold the highest positions in the government after the Prime Minister.
• Senior Ministers (Ministers of State) are usually responsible for the work of a Government Department. Phil Hope is now Minister for Third Sector and Minister for East Midlands
• Junior Ministers (Parliamentary Under Secretaries) usually work as one of several within a Government Department.
• Government Whips have the job of making sure MPs of their own party understand the importance of the matter concerned and support the Government when votes happen.

• Parliamentary Private Secretaries are not in the Government themselves, but each works with a Cabinet Minister or Minister of State. He or she is the eyes and ears of the Minister in Parliament.
• Backbenchers are MPs who do not have a job in the Government, but like all MPs they have the important work of representing their constituencies and speaking and voting in the House of Commons.

The second largest party forms the opposition party which organises itself to mirror the government. So for example there is a Shadow Secretary of State for Transport to oppose the Government Secretary of State for Transport.

• At school, the year is divided up into terms and holidays, with some things happening at the same time each year. Parliament is very similar to schools in this way with breaks from parliament called recesses. However, these are not holidays because MPs do important work in their constituencies during this time.
• The parliamentary session (a year of parliament) begins in November with the Queen’s Speech, which is written for her by the Government. In this speech the monarch announces the Government bills to be debated in the coming session.
• The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes the Budget Speech, usually in the spring, which outlines the way the government will receive money and what it will be spent on.
• Parliament holds debates (a discussion in which different arguments are put forward and opinions given) on a wide range of issues throughout the Session. The Speaker of the House is chosen by other MPs and makes sure the rules of parliamentary debate are enforced. When a debate gets too heated and over excited the Speaker calls ‘Order! Order!’.
• Select Committees are held throughout the session to study carefully the work of the government on a specific issue, such as education. Members of the Select Committee are chosen from MPs of all parties who have a special interest or knowledge on the subject. Phil was a member of the Public Accounts Select Committee, but stood down as is customary, when he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary.
• In September and October the large political Parties hold Conferences outside of Parliament to talk about the ideas they stand for and what they feel are important issues.

It is usually necessary to change an old law or make a new law to change the way the country is run. For a government proposal to become a law it has to go through set stages in both houses, the Commons and the Lords. The legislative process can take a long time as careful considerations and opposition or interest groups can slow down the Bill’s passage through parliament.

It is difficult to describe the work of an MP because no two MPs choose to do the job in exactly the same way. MPs divide their time between their constituency and the Palace of Westminster.

• Phil holds regular surgeries around Corby and East Northamptonshire, which are where people in the constituency can meet him and talk about their problems. Often, Phil has to take up the problems brought to his or her surgery with the relevant Government Department. Phil also refers some problems to the appropriate authorities, such as the local Council or police.
  
• Phil also spends time at the weekends, and during the recesses, meeting people in local factories, clubs, schools and other organisations. Phil has a busy diary and is often asked to open local events and new buildings, and give speeches and attend social events. For example, Phil opened the refurbished children’s ward at the local hospital.
  
• Phil and his staff receive a huge amount of post and lots of e-mails every day. Many letters are from businesses, trade unions or from groups supporting a particular cause. These groups ask Phil to influence government so as to change policies. Phil also receives letters concerning the problems of individuals, which are dealt with in a similar way to those presented at surgeries.
  
• Phil gives tours of the Houses of Parliament to groups from local schools or organisations within his constituency
  
• Phil often asks questions on behalf of his constituents in the Chamber. For example, Phil has asked questions concerning industry, support for rural areas, improving local schools, and funding for local voluntary organisations. Everything Phil and any other MPs have ever said in the Chamber has been recorded in the official parliamentary record, which is called Hansard.
  
• Phil also promotes particular issues that are of concern to him including youth policy, support for parents, and helping migraine suffers and better lighting through his support and work with all-party parliamentary groups.

For more information about how parliament works visit the following sites:

• www.parliament.uk
• www.explore.parliament.uk

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