South East round-up: 15 January 2010
15 January 2010 (updated on 22 April 2010)
Parliamentary business relating to the South East for the week ending 15 January 2010
Written questions
- Commons Hansard: Winter fuel payments to pensioners in Milton Keynes
- Commons Hansard: Winter fuel payments to households in Slough
- Commons Hansard: Number of violent crimes in Sussex
- Commons Hansard: Crime detection rates of Sussex police force
- Commons Hansard: Flood risk in the Thames Gateway
In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments.
Public petitions
- Commons Hansard: Council housing in Portsmouth (petition and Government observations)
- Commons Hansard: Deepcut Army Barracks (petition and Government observations)
The public can petition the House of Commons to make MPs aware of their opinion on an issue and to request action.
Petitioning is a formal process involving sending a written appeal to an MP, following a set format, which is then presented to the Commons by the MP.
Early Day Motions
Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view.
South East Select Committee
The South East Committee covers the following local government areas: Bracknell Forest, Brighton & Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Newbury, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Sussex, Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham.
The remit of the Committee is to examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies. Previously the Committee has reported on the South East England Development Agency and the Regional Economic Strategy.