Celebrating local democracy

Baroness Hayman’s keynote speech will provide an overview of the role of the House of Lords and how members of the public can become involved in the work of the House. A question and answer session will take place after the speech.

Both MPs for Portsmouth, Penny Mordaunt and Mike Hancock will also be presenting on the local MP’s role, and staff from Parliament will give an overview of the work of both Houses and explain essential processes for the public to have their say, such as petitions and early day motions.

This is the latest event in a busy schedule for the House of Lords outreach programme that aims to raise awareness of the role of the House of Lords and how the public can influence its work.

Ahead of the visit Baroness Hayman comments:

'I am very pleased to be taking part in the Your Voice in Parliament event in Portsmouth.

'This is an important day. Westminster can seem very remote and it is essential people know how they can get involved and have an influence on Parliament. Along with the local MPs I will be explaining the role of the House of Lords and helping people get to grips with ways they can work with Members of the House of Lords to benefit and promote the causes that are important to them locally.'

Further information

The Lord Speaker presides over daily parliamentary business in the House of Lords. The Lord Speaker also represents the House of Lords on ceremonial occasions and acts as an ambassador for the House, explaining its role and contribution to the work of Parliament.

• Lord Speaker’s homepage

Parliament seeks to spread information and promote engagement with both houses of Parliament through the work of its outreach service, Parliamentary Outreach, that delivers free training events for anyone who would not normally visit the parliamentary estate. For more information on these services, visit the Parliamentary Outreach section of the Parliament website.