Lord Speaker visits North East in November
17 October 2012
Baroness D’Souza, the Lord Speaker, will visit Newcastle upon Tyne on 22 and 23 November 2012
There is a range of events planned for the Lord Speaker during her time in the North East. These include:
- a lecture with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North on the role of the House of Lords
- an IPPR North debate with panel and audience asking the question ‘Should the House of Lords be moved north?’
- a visit to Newcastle Science City to discuss how people can get involved in parliament’s work
- a talk and Q&A session with sixth form students at St Leonard’s RC School in Durham, as part of the Peers in Schools programme
- a meeting with staff and clients of About Turn, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of former members of the Armed Forces in the North East.
Speaking ahead of her visit, the Lord Speaker said:
'The work of Parliament affects everyone, in every walk of life, every day of their lives. As Parliamentarians, it does us good to get away from the Westminster bubble and visit other areas of the country, hearing different perspectives from people who live outside the capital.
'I am very much looking forward to my visit to Newcastle and I hope that the debates, discussions and meetings I will have will be lively and informative, and will leave everyone who attends with a much greater understanding of the Lords, the political process and how best to engage with it.'
The Lord Speaker’s visit also ties in with the second annual Parliament Week, a series of events to raise awareness and understanding of Parliament and democracy in the UK.
For more information on Baroness D’Souza’s visit to the North East, please e-mail parliamentaryoutreach@parliament.uk or call 020 7219 1650.