Slides for Science Communication module on providing government advice. This shows the UK system and draws heavily on information Parliament has provided on their website.

1. Providing Government Advice
LSC-30059 Communication Skills for
Biologists
Prof Toby Bruce

2. Why engage with
Parliament?
• To support Parliamentarians in their work
of scrutinising the Government,
legislating, debating important issues and
checking and approving Government
spending
• To shape and change policy
and the policy agenda
• To have demonstrable research impact
• To raise the profile of your research and
broaden its dissemination
• To get a different perspective on your
research
• To develop new research questions and
projects shaped by 'real-world' questions
• To grow your network
• To be presented with new opportunities
and have new experiences
https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/why-engage-with-parliament/
Evidence based
policy?

3. What interests
Parliament?
• research that is relevant to current
issues on the parliamentary agenda.
• MPs are interested in research related
to issues that affect their
constituents

4. Clearly
COVID-19 is of
interest, now

5. Clearly
COVID-19 is of
interest, now
It would have been
better to have had a
plan in advance rather
than crisis managment

6. How Parliament
uses research
• To support effective scrutiny and to inform
policy
• To provide background knowledge
• To inform opinions
• To substantiate pre-existing views or hypotheses
• Or challenge them!!!!
• To provide balance
• To provide credibility and enhance public image
• To score political points
Kenny, C., Rose, D.C., Hobbs, A., Tyler, C. & Blackstock, J. (2017) The Role of Research in the UK Parliament Volume One. London, UK, Houses
of Parliament. https://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/POST_Role%20of%20Research%20in%20UK%20Parliament%202017.pdf
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/it-takes-
portfolio-tools-make-evidence-based-policy

7. Communicating with
politicians
• Think how to communicate
to parliamentarians and
their staff about research
and evidence
• Find the key information
which is relevant
• Credibility is deemed
important – have stats to
back up claims
• Consider what it means from
a politicians perspective i.e.
implications for society
and the electorate rather
than the science itself

8. How to get in touch?
”No, they won’t read your
science papers"
Unless attention
is drawn to
them somehow

9. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/

10. Select Committees work in both
Houses. They check and report on areas
ranging from the work of government
departments to economic affairs. The results
of these inquiries are public and many require
a response from the government.
Public Bill Committees are set up
by the House of Commons to examine the
details of a particular Bill. Committees are
named after the relevant Bill, e.g. the Equality
Bill Committee. This makes it clear that the
Committee is established purely to consider a
particular bill.
All-Party Parliamentary
Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-
party groups that have no official status
within Parliament.

11. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Give Evidence

13. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Provide
specialist
advice
Contribute to
a briefing

14. The House of Commons Library is an independent research and information unit. It
provides impartial information for Members of Parliament of all parties and their staff.
This service supports MPs in their work scrutinising Government, proposing legislation,
and supporting constituents. A library like this also exists for the House of Lords.

15. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Contribute to
a briefing

19. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Peer review

20. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Share
knowledge
and research

21. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Contribute to
Devolved
Administrations

22. https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/ways-to-engage-with-parliament/
Help
Parliament
find your
research Increasing your visibility through
blogging, social media and engaging
with the media will help
Parliamentarians and their staff to
discover your research.

23. More on this
topic:
(See link to .pdf)
https://www.parliament.uk/
documents/post/POST_Role
%20of%20Research%20in%2
0UK%20Parliament%202017
.pdf