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Using
Parliamentary
Websites
as an
Engagement
Tool
– a guide for parliaments -
Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Louise Thompson
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
2 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Guide produced under the project Managing Parliament’s Image, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) -
(RES-000-22-4072).
Cover images from (top to bottom): Homepages of the Assemblée Nationale (www.assemblee-nationale.fr/), European
Parliament (www.europarl.europa.eu/portal/en), Assembleia da República (www.parlamento.pt/), Scottish Parliament
(www.scottish.parliament.uk) and UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk/).
This Guide stems from research conducted as part of the Managing Parliament’s Image project. The project encompassed in-
depth interviews with sixty senior parliamentary officials across five parliaments (European Parliament, French Assemblée
Nationale, Portuguese Assembleia da República, Scottish Parliament and UK House of Commons) and contents analysis of these
parliaments’ websites, complemented by data collected through an online survey of parliamentary libraries and communication
services of parliaments across the world. The Guide also draws from a case study project with UK University students aiming to
understand their perceptions and engagement with a parliamentary website (funded by the UK Higher Education Academy). The
authors would like to express their gratitude to all participants in this project, for sharing their time, enthusiasm, dedication and
expertise with us.
This Guide is intended to be used by parliaments for the purposes of effectively engaging citizens through their websites. The
Guide utilises material from our research, drawing in particular on a number of instances that we have identified as best
practice. The examples quoted aim to provide for illustration of specific tools; they are often being used by more than one
parliament. The Guide does not aim to make a survey of all of the tools currently being used; it simply lists key features of best
practice of parliamentary websites’ engagement with the public.
This Guide is complemented by two other guides in the same series: Organising and Managing Parliamentary Websites and How
Parliaments Use Social Media. All of the guides are accessible from the project’s website: hull.ac.uk/mpi
All print screens included are taken from the respective parliament’s website. All quotes are from our interviews with senior
parliamentary officials and representatives.
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
3 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Louise Thompson
USING PARLIAMENTARY WEBSITES AS AN ENGAGEMENT TOOL .............................. 3
CRISTINA LESTON-BANDEIRA .......................................................................... 3
LOUISE THOMPSON ...................................................................................... 3
THE IMPORTANCE OF PARLIAMENTARY WEBSITES ............................................... 1
KEY QUESTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONS TO ANSWER ................................................. 2
WHAT IS THE PRIMARY ROLE OF THE WEBSITE? .............................................. 2
WHAT IMAGE OF PARLIAMENT SHOULD BE PRESENTED BY THE WEBSITE? ............ 2
WHAT DO CITIZENS WANT? ....................................................................... 3
ONE WEBSITE OR TWO? ........................................................................... 3
WEBSITE ORGANISATION .............................................................................. 4
EASILY ACCESSIBLE CONTENT: THE THREE CLICK “RULE” ................................. 4
THE IMPORTANCE OF A TOPIC BASED APPROACH ........................................... 4
REPORTING OF PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS ........................................................ 6
PARLIAMENTARY NEWS............................................................................ 6
BILLS AND LEGISLATION ............................................................................ 6
FORTHCOMING PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS .................................................. 7
SEARCHING AND ACCESSIBILITY ................................................................... 7
WEBCASTING ......................................................................................... 9
INTEGRATING PARLIAMENTARY REPORTING TOOLS ......................................... 9
HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT ........................................................................ 10
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ..................................................................... 10
INFORMATION ABOUT PARTY GROUPS ....................................................... 11
HOW PARLIAMENT WORKS ..................................................................... 12
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES ................................................................. 14
CHILDREN’S SECTION .............................................................................. 14
ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC ........................................................................ 15
ENCOURAGING CITIZEN CONTACT ............................................................. 15
ENGAGEMENT WITH PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY .......................................... 16
USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN ENGAGEMENT TOOL .......................................... 17
USING BLOGS ....................................................................................... 19
MORE GUIDANCE ....................................................................................... 20
“a window on the
world in which we
should try to
exhibit the goods”
“the entrance to
the Parliament”
The Importance of Parliamentary Websites
Parliamentary institutions have long recognised the important role that online media play in the everyday lives of
their citizens, with almost every national and sub-national parliament now having a parliamentary website.
Maintaining and regularly updating an authoritative and accessible website is crucial for parliaments, primarily as an
access point for citizens. Whilst people may feel distant from the parliamentary building itself, perhaps living too far
away to visit easily or unsure of how to go about watching Members of Parliament at work in committee or in the
chamber, a website can act as a crucial intermediary. It provides a window to the institution so that parliamentary
activity can be viewed by anyone, anywhere and at any time in a variety of different formats.
As the technology of website design becomes more advanced and internet use by citizens becomes even more
sophisticated, parliamentary websites are increasingly important as an engagement tool. They become the natural
reference point for citizens enquiring about parliamentary activity and where the contact details of elected
representatives and parliamentary officials are freely available, they facilitate contact from citizens. When used innovatively, they can encourage the
participation of citizens in legislative scrutiny through e-consultations and in the redress of grievances through online petition systems. As such,
parliamentary websites are enhancing the ability of parliaments and of their elected representatives to fulfil their core functions of legislation,
representation and scrutiny. They enhance the credibility of institutions and increase the legitimacy of the political process. A website is equally important
for the internal operation of parliaments. When used as a repository and archive of parliamentary documents, it becomes an integral feature and reference
point for members of staff.
It is only natural then, that parliamentary institutions strive to maintain high quality websites which will facilitate the
engagement of their citizens in the political process. Most parliaments are now beginning to use Web 2.0 technologies
and social media tools as a further platform for citizen engagement. This guide focuses on the best practice being
undertaken by parliaments as they strive to build websites as a citizen engagement tool.
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
2 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
“You must focus
on the needs of
citizens”
“There is a
conceptual
challenge”
Key Questions for Institutions to Answer
Regardless of whether a parliament is creating a website from scratch or simply redesigning the existing content and
structure of a website, it is important that the following four conceptual questions are considered. For the answers to
these questions will shape the design and structure of the website as well as informing its more detailed content.
They are the key to unlocking good website design and ensuring that it meets the needs of all potential website users.
What is the primary role of the website?
Perhaps the most important question to be considered by institutions is what the primary role or function of the
website will be. Although the early forays of parliamentary institutions into the online world revolved around the use
of a website as little more than a document repository, modern websites are now more likely to see their primary role
as being a tool for engagement with the wider public. The use of the website as an access point for parliamentary documents and for the reporting of
parliamentary business is still important, but often secondary to the more interactive role of communicating with and listening to, citizens. It is therefore
important that the design of the website is viewed from the perspective of the end-user, that is the citizen rather than solely from the perspective of
elected representatives and parliamentary staff. This does not mean that the needs of other users of the website should be ignored; the website should be
of use to all potential users whether they be staff, representatives, academic experts, journalists or other members of the public.
What image of Parliament should be presented by the website?
With low public trust in elected representatives and parliamentary institutions seemingly a permanent feature of
contemporary political life, it is important that parliaments carefully consider the image they wish to project to the
public through their website. At a broad level parliaments may simply wish to project a vibrant and positive image;
something which may simply require the construction of modern and interesting homepage. However, on a deeper
level parliaments may wish to present an image of themselves as accessible and transparent institutions. Here, the
layout and navigation of the website, as well as its actual content, becomes an imperative feature of projecting this
image. In order to be transparent, material does not just need to be held somewhere within the website, it needs to
be easily accessible and clear to visitors.
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
3 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
"What did you do
for me today?"
“The design has to
make it easier ... to
meet these different
needs”
What do citizens want?
With the primary users of the website being identified as members of the public, it is important for parliaments to
gather data on why citizens are visiting the site. Why do citizens visit a parliament’s page? What existing pages are
most popular? What information are they trying to find? And how easily are they able to locate this material at
present? Data collection and analysis could take the form of a very simple collation of statistics on the existing
website with analytics software or from online surveys of visitors to the website over a period of time. The results
should feed into the design of the website, highlighting the types of information which need to be made most easily
accessible and therefore clearly signposted from the parliament’s homepage.
One website or two?
Bicameral parliaments will also need to consider whether each chamber is to maintain its own independent website
or whether the work of the two institutions can be integrated into just one official Parliament website. There is no ‘correct’ answer to the question and
both routes are being used effectively by parliaments at present. French citizens can thus visit the website of the Assemblée Nationale (www.assemblee-
nationale.fr) or Sénat (www.senat.fr), whilst British citizens can view the work of both the
House of Commons and the House of Lords through one single Parliament website
(www.parliament.uk). This is often related to how the parliaments themselves are
organised and the links between both chambers.
All parliaments may additionally need to
consider whether they require a separate
intranet version of the material they are posting
on the website or whether the needs of internal
and external users can be integrated within the
main parliament website.
The UK Parliament collects citizens’ views of the website through a short ‘pop up’ survey1
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
4 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
“We’ve tried to
make ourselves
very accessible”
Website Organisation
A solid and easily navigable website is crucial if parliaments are to ensure that they are
accessible to users. Yet the volume of information required to be uploaded or stored on an
institutional website and the process orientated structure of the institutions can inhibit
easy navigation.
Easily Accessible Content: The Three Click “Rule”
Today’s website users are accustomed to websites which promote the fast location and
retrieval of information and products within just two or three clicks of the mouse.
Parliaments should use these sites to inform the organisation of their own websites.
Structurally parliamentary websites tend to be top-heavy, with an abundance of
information presented on homepages. This can cause confusion and can be particularly off-
putting for first time visitors as well as those who are not familiar with the institution itself.
A balance needs to be found between these two, with a clear and easily navigable
homepage through which users are able to access parliamentary information and
documents as quickly and easily as possible, regardless of whether this material is current
or archived.
Using the ‘three click rule’ where possible will
assist parliaments in ensuring the accessibility of information. Thus, if web surveys have demonstrated that certain
pages such as parliamentary news or lists of elected representatives are extremely popular, they should be
promoted on the homepage so that users can retrieve the information they need as quickly as possible with a
minimum of ‘clicks’.
The Importance of a Topic Based Approach
It is a feature of parliamentary life that organisations and departments are related to the process of parliamentary
business. Parliaments’ websites often mirror these internal structures, with information organised according to the
The Scottish Parliament website allows a great deal of information to be
accessed with just a few clicks of the mouse
The Scottish Parliament website allows a great deal of information to
be accessed with just a few clicks of the mouse
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
5 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
“Someone who wants to
know about [a] bill
doesn’t just want to
know about it from the
perspective of the Office
but as a user”
different stages of the legislative process and by different parliamentary bodies
(committees, chamber etc). This creates a business or federated approach to the website,
with material being located within the department from which it originated, and can hinder
its integration and visibility.
Citizens visiting the website are usually looking for information on a very specific topic. This
may be something that they have seen reported in news programmes or read in the
newspaper or simply a policy area in which they have an interest. Most will have little
awareness of the parliamentary process and are faced with an organisation they do not
fully understand, organised around departments or processes that they may never have
heard of. When faced with material organised in this way they inevitably struggle to find
information without prior knowledge of how the institution works.
A good search engine can assist in this process, but another successful strategy is to
organise material by topic rather than by process. Someone wishing to find information on
housing should therefore be able to easily find all of the relevant legislation, debates,
committee reports, library information
and research papers relating to this topic.
This requires more than simply good
organisation of pages; it also necessitates
the integration of material and good use
of document ‘tags’ to ensure that all
relevant information on a topic from across the institution is displayed on the same page. Use of tags such
as ‘committee’ and ‘debate’ should therefore be used sparingly, in favour of much more specific policy or
topic orientated tags such as ‘housing’, ‘media’ and ‘energy efficiency’. Other examples of small
amendments to the way in which information is displayed include organising committee pages and
publications by topic of inquiry, rather than placing all inquiries together or ordering by parliamentary
session.
The UK Parliament has a separate topics page with a range of
documents organised by policy area.2
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6 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Reporting of Parliamentary Business
The reporting of parliamentary business is a core function of every institutional website. With this function comes the need to maintain a news section as
well as details of current and forthcoming parliamentary business. It is increasingly not just about the reporting of business, but about the live streaming of
chamber and committee debates which can be viewed by anyone around the world.
Parliamentary News
Citizens frequently visit the website as a result of something they
have seen or read in the news. This may be something as prominent
as an annual budget speech or something much more specific such
as the report of a committee inquiry which has just been published.
Regardless of the nature of the visit, a topical news section of the
website is crucial and should be displayed prominently on the
homepage.
News stories will usually be written in a more informal and easily
accessible style designed to be understood by a wide audience. It is
therefore important that all news stories have links to relevant
debates, reports or parliamentary questions so that interested
readers are able to locate more detailed information on the basis of
what they have read with ease.
Bills and Legislation
A wide assortment of legislation will be making its way through the scrutiny process of an institution at any given time and may form the focus of citizens’
visits to the website. Parliaments need to clearly illustrate the progress made by each piece of legislation. A visually appealing bill tracking system can aid
understanding and allow visitors to the website to clearly distinguish between legislation that has only recently been introduced and that which has
completed its passage.
The Australian Parliament posts news stories clearly on its homepage. A link to ‘news and events’ is
also clearly signed on the top menu bar.3
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
7 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
All of the relevant stages, debates, documents and briefings related to the bill and its
amendments should be found in one place so that citizens need to know only the name of
the bill and not the different scrutiny stages in order to access information. Short
explanations of the different stages of the scrutiny process may be displayed alongside
this information or the page may highlight links to a glossary of information and
definitions.
Forthcoming Parliamentary Business
Not only does current parliamentary business need to be reported by parliamentary
websites, it is important for citizens to be able to view forthcoming parliamentary
business. It may be that they
wish to watch or read a debate
online or that they plan to visit
parliament and would like to know what the business will be on the day of their visit.
Clear timetables of the day’s parliamentary business as well as forthcoming business for the next
week/(s) or links to order papers and other documents detailing this information should be
displayed on the homepage if possible to ensure that it is easily accessible. This may be displayed
through a tab function (see opposite) or through a calendar embedded within the site.
Searching and Accessibility
The volume of contemporary information available on parliamentary websites and the huge
archives of much older parliamentary material mean that good search tools and the easy
accessibility of documents should be a priority. This will enable citizens to obtain parliamentary
documents much more easily and prevent them from going elsewhere for information on a topic.
Inevitably a parliamentary website needs to be accessible and used by many very different
audiences; having excellent search capability can be a way of meeting the needs of many
audiences, according to their own specific interests.
The progress of bills is displayed in a visually appealing way on the Scottish
Parliament website.4
The US House of Representatives displays clear schedules of
business on the floor and in committee as well as votes and bills.5
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
8 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
“Our whole goal now is
to produce everything
that is of interest to the
public in XML format so
that anyone can take
that data and re-
analyse it”
There are two crucial ways in which the material stored online by parliaments can be made more
accessible to citizens:
Parliaments should consider presenting information in .XML format so that visitors are able to
analyse and use the data for themselves.
At least some parts of the website (and its accompanying documents) should be made
accessible to users accessing the site through their mobiles.
However, at the same time institutions need to be aware of how easy it is for citizens to use files. Whilst
visitors may prefer information to be downloadable in PDF rather than presented only in HMTL, large
numbers of PDF files may prevent them for searching across documents to locate information. A
powerful search engine is thus essential and should be fully integrated within the website. This will allow
visitors to search across all of the information held by parliament quickly and easily. It should be
displayed clearly at the top of the homepage. Although most visitors to the website will be searching for
text based answers to questions or information about the parliament, it is important to include material
in a range of different formats. This may take the form of photographs, videos and podcasts or audio
material. Not only will this make the website more accessible to citizens with visual impairments, it will also make the site more interesting for visitors to
use.
Users should be able to select a more advanced search tool to enable searches for specific types of material (e.g. debates, committee reports, library
briefings) and for material produced by a certain author (e.g. a particular MP’s speeches). Alternatively, a facility may be provided for them to filter the
results that have been returned by type of document, date or relevance. The creation of a search engine by parliament itself requires excellent integration
and labelling of material to prevent irrelevant
results being returned during searches. Using
internet based search tools within the site
may make this process much easier.
A search box is located at the top of the website of the National Assembly for Wales. Users can then filter the results for
different types of material.6
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
9 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Webcasting
The ability to watch live parliamentary proceedings online is an important feature of engaging with citizens, many of whom will feel very remote from
parliament itself and live too far away to view proceedings in person. Web streaming also enables viewing of the parliamentary proceedings at any time,
providing more flexibility of access. Although often already available to citizens through other news and media outlets, streaming parliamentary debates
and committees directly through the institutional website encourages people to visit the site who may otherwise not choose to do so. This in turn may
encourage users to explore other areas of the parliament website, bringing greater engagement with the institution as a whole.
Once again it is crucial that archives of this material are stored on the site and available for citizens to view at any time and that these archives are fully
searchable. A good website will include business in committees as well as in the main chamber.
Integrating Parliamentary Reporting Tools
In order to best respond to the demands of citizens and their individual reasons for visiting the website, these parliamentary reporting tools should be
integrated wherever possible. For example, a visitor to the site may be interested in listening to the contribution of a particular Member of Parliament
during the debate on a bill. Rather than finding the bill and its stages, locating the debate and then scrolling through the official report of proceedings to
read that Members’ contributions, it should be possible for a user to make a quick search for the recent speeches of the Member in question.
Similarly, a visitor wishing to find out the position of their MP on a policy issue such as housing should be able to select that topic on the website and then
select recent votes in the subject area. The more these reporting tools are integrated, the easier this material will be for citizens to access.
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
10 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
The Educational Role of Parliamentary Websites
Although many visitors to parliamentary institutions are seeking information to view the business of
parliament, institutions additionally have a very important educational role; one which can be enhanced
significantly through a parliamentary website.
History of Parliament
The history of a parliament is central to both the way in which the institution works and to the history of the
nation. A clear and well informed section of the website detailing the history of the institution is thus
paramount. Regardless of the age of the institution, citizens will wish to know when the institution was created
and how it has developed over time. This information is typically arranged in a specific page of the website and
often forms part of an ‘about parliament’ section.
It is useful to integrate the history of the institution with other aspects of the parliament where possible. For
example, these pages could also include information about the architecture and heritage as well as any works
of art which can be seen. It may be that links with outside organisations such as the parliamentary archives can
be utilised to show photographs of the original copies of key historical documents such as letters and Acts of
Parliament. A list of key debates can be very useful here, summarising the key parliamentary events in the
development of the institution. Where possible links should be provided to the text, or photographs of these
debates.
Members of Parliament
One of the most common reasons for citizens to visit the parliament website is to find out who represents
them. Information on members of parliament is usually displayed prominently on the homepage, often with a
search or ‘Find Your MP’ tool allowing citizens to type in their location and so find out who their
representatives are. This should usually link to an individual page for each representative, in which more
detailed information is displayed. The full list of members of parliament should have a filter function, allowing
visitors to search for members from a particular party or area.
Chile’s Chamber of Deputies webcasts
parliamentary debates through a television
channel but additionally broadcasts audio
versions of legislation to increase accessibility
for citizens. This is directly available from the
homepage.7
The UK Parliament has a substantial section related to Art in Parliament which includes portraits, buildings, key historical events and political satire.
9
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11 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Useful information presented on this page should
include: personal information, political information
(membership of party or cross party groups,
parliamentary positions, committee memberships) and
contact details. To make these pages more engaging
elected representatives could utilise short video clips
introducing themselves and their parliamentary work on
this page. A member’s most recent parliamentary
appearances (debates, oral questions, written questions
and recent voting behaviour) can also be displayed here.
All relevant contact details for the representative should
be listed here, including parliamentary and constituency
telephone numbers, postal address and email addresses
of the representative or their staff. A web based contact
form can be used to allow citizens to email their
representative directly from the parliament website and
which can then be forwarded to their office email
account. Links to members’ personal websites or blogs as
well as their Facebook and Twitter accounts (where
relevant) will enhance the visibility of different platforms for contacting members of parliament.
Information about Party Groups
As the most visible and arguably important representative unit, political parties are often the most common reason for citizens to visit the website.
Although it is imperative that parliamentary institutions maintain strict neutrality and that all web content authored by the institution itself is not biased in
any way, parliaments should not shy away from providing this information. Citizens may not be aware of this need for impartiality and will be frustrated if
they are unable to find information about the parties. Information about the different party groups operating within the Parliament can be integrated
within the section of the site which gives information on each individual elected representative. Allowing a search for members of parliament by party
The French Parliament displays a list of key parliamentary debates in a section of the website detailing the history of the parliament.8
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group is very useful to visitors. Including contact details for each party
group within the contacts page on the website and a link to the website
of each political party will also be helpful for citizens.
How Parliament Works
With such a large variety of documents available through parliamentary
websites, an explanation of the role of parliament is essential. This is
usually one of the main pillars of the website and is often referred to as
‘about Parliament’ or ‘how Parliament works’. This includes more
general information regarding the different functions of parliament
alongside more detailed information about the different scrutiny
mechanisms and the day to day work of elected representatives. A
section of the website explaining the key features of parliament’s work will
allow citizens to gain a broad overview of the purpose of the institution and
ensure that they are better equipped to locate and interpret the parliamentary
material uploaded on to the website.
For example, clear and concise descriptions of the different stages of legislation
and the scrutiny process are crucial if visitors to the website are searching for
information on a particular bill. They may not understand the difference
between a debate in the parliamentary chamber and a more detailed debate in
a parliamentary committee. Whilst a specific page or section of the website
focusing on the work of the institution is valuable, a glossary or terminology
page is also useful in explaining key parliamentary terms to citizens. This
glossary may include words such as ‘bill’, ‘Act’, ‘motion’ and ‘table’. Where
possible, these terms and their accompanying explanations can then be
highlighted in relevant places throughout the website. For instance, a copy of
Explaining the role and work of the Welsh Assembly.11
A description of a bill from the glossary pages of the UK Parliament website.12
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the definition of a ‘standing committee’ could be included on the committee
page of the website. Any information sheets or guides to the parliament
which are printed for distribution to those visiting the parliament in person
can also be uploaded into this section. Some institutions offer a facility for
citizens to request copies of these documents online.
For example, clear and concise descriptions of the different stages of
legislation and the scrutiny process are crucial if visitors to the website are
searching for information on a particular bill. They may not understand the
difference between a debate in the parliamentary chamber and a more
detailed debate in a parliamentary committee.
Whilst a specific page or section of the website focusing on the work of the
institution is valuable, a glossary or terminology page is also useful in explaining
key parliamentary terms to citizens. This glossary may include words such as ‘bill’,
‘Act’, ‘motion’ and ‘table’. Where possible, these terms and their accompanying
explanations can then be highlighted in relevant places throughout the website.
For instance, a copy of the definition of a ‘standing committee’ could be included
on the committee page of the website. Any information sheets or guides to the
parliament which are printed for distribution to those visiting the parliament in
person can also be uploaded into this section. Some institutions offer a facility for
citizens to request copies of these documents online.
A
The European Parliament integrates information about party groups within their MEP
page, allowing visitors to search for MEPs by country, region and party.10 grouping.
The German Bundestag has very detailed series of pages and documents for each of its committees. The Finance Committee is shown here.13
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14 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Parliamentary Committees
As a key sub unit of parliamentary activity, the composition and work of committees must be visible on
the website. As the German Bundestag illustrates, each committee should have its own page or series of
pages within the site where information about its membership and work (hearings, reports and
publications) should be displayed very clearly. Where possible, this information should be presented in a
similar menu, with the use of the same headings and sub sections, on each committee’s individual pages
to ensure continuity. The work of committees should be integrated fully with the rest of the site. For
example, where a committee has discussed a piece of legislation, a link could be provided to the text of
the bill itself within the legislation section.
Children’s Section
Whilst it is important that all of the content written for parliamentary websites uses clear and simple
terminology, a section or page of the site should be specially designed for children and include a basic
overview of how parliament works and the role or work of its members. Some
parliaments have a separate children’s website, though this should still be linked to the
main parliament site.
These overviews of how the institution works must be as visually appealing as possible,
hence the frequent use of pictures, cartoons and videos. The website of the French
Assemblée Nationale is a good example of this, with a formidable children’s section, the
‘parlement des enfants’ (www.parlementdesenfants.fr/), a year long initiative to engage
with school children. The Brazilian parliamentary website for children is another useful
example (Plenarinho: www.plenarinho.gov.br/). Aiming a particularly young public, it
includes many possibilities to interact with staff and representatives, involvement in
specific law themes, as well as a wide range of resources for children and teachers.
Some institutions work with outside companies to develop interactive games or
activities designed to convey the work of parliament more effectively to a younger
audience. The UK Parliament hosts a large number of these interactive games including
The UK Parliament website has a comprehensive set of interactive games including ‘MP for a Week’ which allows players to play the role of a backbench MP.14
The French Parliament has a very well developed children’s section within a separate website. The children’s section can be easily accessed from the homepage.15
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‘MP for a Week’, ‘The Campaign Trail’ and ‘Get the Houses in Order’ which explain the work of MPs,
elections and the two houses of Parliament. Although the design of these games is contracted out,
the content should still be written by parliamentary staff.
Given the importance of citizenship education in schools, the material in the children’s section of
parliamentary websites is often aimed at teachers and specific stages of learning. Other resources
may include lesson plans, material for interactive boards and printed classroom resources. The UK
parliament website also has an iPhone application (Parliquiz) aimed at A Level students of
Government and Politics. The format and content of material and resources found within these
children’s sections will be markedly different from the rest of the website and so the staff members
responsible should typically have autonomy from the broader website management structure and
processes.
Engaging with the Public
Although the reporting of the work of parliament and the archiving of parliamentary material is a
core function of parliamentary websites, the website should underpin the interaction between the
institution and its citizens. It plays a key role in enhancing public engagement with the institution
and in ensuring that communication is more of a ‘bottom-up’ and less of a ‘top-down’ process. There
are a variety of means through which parliamentary websites are fulfilling this function, the most
important of which are discussed below.
Encouraging Citizen Contact
To encourage contact from citizens and to increase the transparency of the institution, visitors to a
parliament’s website need to know precisely how they can get in touch with the institution and its
representatives. A parliament’s website should therefore contain more than simply the contact
details of its elected members. Citizens may wish to contact parliament for a very wide range of
reasons and thus the contacts page should include the following offices and members of staff:
Elected representatives
Part of the Portuguese Assembleia da Republica’s extensive contacts page. The page is divided into parliamentary groups and parliamentary services.
16
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
16 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Parliamentary(political) groups
Parliamentary information office
and/or parliamentary archives
Committees (clerks, chair etc)
Schools, education and outreach office
or coordinators
Parliamentary tours office
Parliament IT (for website problems or
difficulties)
These details can be displayed in a list format or
through a built in email template which allows
citizens to send a message through the website
directly to a member of staff. Alongside a visible
contacts page, these details can be replicated
where appropriate throughout the website. Thus,
the pages of a parliament’s Finance Committee
could display the contact details for the committee
chair and clerk. In addition, some parliaments
choose to display contact information for their Secretary-General or Chief Executive and for other internal services as departments such as Finance and
Administration on their website.
Engagement with Parliamentary Scrutiny
Parliamentary websites can be an excellent vehicle for the involvement of citizens with legislation and parliamentary scrutiny. Citizens may be aware of a
bill currently being considered by parliament and wish to make the institution aware of their concerns. Alternatively, they may seek to bring parliament’s
The Portuguese Assembleia da República’s Citizen Space page highlights how citizens can get involved with Parliament. It includes information on how to contact parliamentary groups, how to visit parliament and how to participate in blogs and discussion forums.17
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
17 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
attention to an issue which is not currently being considered, with a request for
legislation or for a parliamentary debate. Institutional websites can make it much
easier for citizens to raise matters of concern and to get involved with the legislative
process.
Any mechanisms through which citizens can become involved with the legislative and
scrutiny process must therefore be publicised well on the homepage of the parliament
website. The European Parliament has a particularly innovative ‘Parliament and You’
section which displays all of the different ways EU citizens are able to contact or get
involved with the institution in one place.
Perhaps the most effective tool is the use of an online petitions system (where
applicable to the institution) to replace a paper based petitions system. Not only does
this publicise the tool to a wider audience, it makes the process of putting together a
petition and gathering signatures much more simple and it extends its reach and
accessibility. Some parliaments, such as the German Bundestag or the Scottish
Parliament, enable citizens to discuss and comment on submitted petitions through
the parliament website as well as to submit petitions of their own.
The use of blogs and discussion
forums can also increase the
outlets available for citizens to
comment on pieces of legislation. For example, the Assemblée Nationale has a forums page in which
visitors to the website can comment on specific pieces of legislation as well as on broader policy
issues.
Using social media as an engagement tool
Social media tools can be effective in reaching out to citizens and in promoting the work of parliament,
making it more visible to citizens in their day to day lives. Despite fears in the management of these
tools, parliaments are increasingly making use of social media to engage with the public.
The German Bundestag’s Petitions Forum19
The Scottish Parliament’s website allows citizens to submit, view, sign and discuss petitions online. The petition shown has collected 4,755 signatures and attracted over 700 comments from website users.18
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
18 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Links to the parliament’s social media pages should be clearly signposted on the homepage and where relevant
across the website as a whole. For instance, a link to the Twitter account or the Twitter feed of a particular
committee such as Home Affairs could be displayed on its own pages of the website. Maintaining an institutional
account on YouTube, Flickr and/or Pinterest is another effective way of spreading the work of the parliament and
enhancing its visibility.
Adding a ‘share’ tool to the
pages of the website, so that
citizens can post material they
have read on Facebook or
Twitter for their friends and
followers to see is an excellent
way of encouraging the sharing
of information about the work
of parliament, particularly
among younger citizens. It promotes greater awareness of parliament
among those who may otherwise never visit the institution or its
website themselves. This is particularly important for news stories and
recently published documents such as committee reports.
Some parliaments choose to add only a link to these pages, whilst
others make the parliamentary Twitter feed available to view. It may
be that there is only one institutional account on each of these social
media tools. Where possible, it is of great benefit to enable other
offices within the institution to have their own social media profiles.
Giving departments the autonomy to become involved in their own
social media work can enhance the public face of Parliament and
make the institution seem more human and friendly rather than
simply being a remote and traditional institution. For instance, the
Library of the Australian Parliament maintains its own website, Twitter
Social media links on the French Assemblée Nationale’s homepage.20
The Scottish Parliament’s Twitter page21
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
19 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Account and Facebook page. In the case of parliaments with multiple social media
accounts it is worth considering having a specific page listing all of the
institutional accounts.
For further information on the use of social media by parliaments see the guide
Parliaments and Social Media guide which accompanies this series.
Using Blogs
The use of blogs on parliamentary websites goes hand in hand with the use of
social media. It forms another platform through which to present a more personal
face of the institution and to encourage comments from citizens. Several
parliaments now run their own institutional blogs, whilst others enable individual
departments to maintain a blog or simply provide links to the personal blogs of
elected members.
Some examples of these blogs are listed below:
Portuguese Assembleia da República: http://blogs.parlamento.pt
Library of the Australian Parliament: http://parliamentflagpost.blogspot.com
Web Team of the European Parliament (unofficial): www.ep-webeditors.eu
Therese Coffey (UK Member of Parliament): www.theresecoffey.com
Blogs can be official and therefore representing the views of the institution or its departments or they may be ‘unofficial’ and therefore written by
parliamentary staff, but with the caveat that posts do not necessarily represent the view of the parliament. The very popular blog of the European
Parliament’s web team is a good example of the latter. Although unofficial, the blog has been running since July 2008 and is written by 22 web editors
based around the EU. Posts are a mixture of personal, topical and parliamentary in content.
Writing for (y)EU: The unofficial blog of the European Parliament’s Web Team.22
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
20 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
More Guidance
There are plenty of sources available today for further guidance on the use of internet based tools to support parliamentary engagement with the public.
Your parliament may indeed already be utilizing some of these.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) now regularly reviews guidelines and best practice in the utilization of new media tools to support the work of
parliaments and their engagement with citizens. In recent years they have published several publications specific to engagement with the public. They have
also issued the most comprehensive set of guidelines on parliamentary websites together with the Global Centre for ICT, available at:
www.ictparliament.org/sites/default/files/webguidelines_en.pdf.
The IPU also has now published guidelines on the use social media, available at: www.ipu.org/PDF/publications/SMG2013EN.pdf and its 128th Assembly
approved in March 2013 a resolution on the use of social media by parliaments (available at: www.ipu.org/pdf/128/resolution-6-en.pdf).
The Global Centre for ICT is an organisation specifically focused on supporting parliaments in their use of technology to support parliamentary work and
engagement with the public. The Global Centre issues regular guidelines on strategic planning and publishes the World e-Parliament Reports. These reports
are an invaluable source of information for best practice. All of the Global Centre’s publications are available at: www.ictparliament.org/publications.
Using Parliamentary Websites as an Engagement Tool
21 Managing Parliament’s Image project – ESRC (RES-000-22-4072)
Images and References 1Survey appears as a ‘pop up’ on the UK Parliament homepage, www.parliament.uk (accessed 14 April 2013)
2 UK Parliament topics page, www.parliament.uk/topics/topical-issues.htm (accessed 14 April 2013)
3 Parliament of Australia, www.aph.gov.au/ (accessed 14 April 2013)
4 Example taken from the ‘Current Bills’ page, www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/576.aspx (accessed 14 April 2013)
5 Events tab as displayed on the homepage of the US House of Representatives, www.house.gov/ (accessed 14 April 2013)
6 National Assembly for Wales, www.assemblywales.org/ (accessed 14 April 2013) 7 Chamber of Deputies of Chile, www.camara.cl/ (accessed 14 April 2013)
8 Grands moments d’éloquence parlementaire, www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/7e.asp (accessed 14 April 2013)
9 Art in Parliament, www.parliament.uk/about/art-in-parliament/ (accessed 14 April 2013)
10 MEPs filtered through the MEP page, www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/search.html (accessed 14 April 2013) 11
About the Assembly, www.assemblywales.org/abthome.htm (accessed 14 April 2013) 12 ‘Bills’ section of the glossary pages, www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/bills/ (accessed 14 April 2013) 13 Finance Committee, www.bundestag.de/bundestag/ausschuesse17/a07/index.jsp (accessed 14 April 2013) 14 One of the activities available on the ‘Games’ page, www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/games/ (accessed 14 April 2013) 15 www.parlementdesenfants.fr/ (accessed 14 April 2013) 16 Contacts page, Assembleia da República, www.parlamento.pt/Paginas/Contactos.aspx (accessed 14 April 2013) 17 Citizen Space, www.parlamento.pt/EspacoCidadao/Paginas/default.aspx (accessed 14 April 2013) 18
Petition PE01468, Evictions due to under occupation deductions, www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/bedroomtax (accessed 14 April 2013) 19 E-Petitions page, https://epetitionen.bundestag.de/epet/petuebersicht/mz.nc.html (accessed 14 April 2013) 20 Social media links publicised on the parliament’s homepage, www.assemblee-nationale.fr/ (accessed 14 April 2013) 21 Twitter page of the Scottish Parliament, https://twitter.com/search?q=scottish%20parliament&src=typd (accessed 14 April 2013) 22 Writing for y(EU), www.ep-webeditors.eu/ (accessed 14 April 2013)
