House of Commons Library

The House of Commons Library is part of the Department for Information Services.

Publicly available briefing papers

Our pre-prepared briefing papers are available to the public and include:

• Research papers which provide in-depth and impartial analysis of all major pieces of legislation, as well as many areas of policy;
• Standard notes which cover frequently asked questions and topical issues;
• Parliamentary procedure and practice background papers;
• Parliament and the Constitution research including Parliamentary Information Lists which give factual information on a range of parliamentary topics;
• Olympic Britain and Key Issues for the New 2010 Parliament.

Publications are also available to browse by topic along with other parliamentary information on the topics pages on the Parliament website:

• Topics

Authors of Commons Library briefing papers are available to discuss their contents with MPs and their staff but cannot advise others.  The research services welcomes comments on its papers, however it cannot guarantee to respond to them all. Comments should be sent to papers@parliament.uk or by post to the Publications and Events Officer, House of Commons Library, 1 Derby Gate, London SW1A 0AA.

Confidential enquiry service for Members of Parliament

The House of Commons Library offers a confidential, tailored and impartial enquiry service to Members of Parliament and their staff in support of their parliamentary duties.

Deposited papers

Deposited papers are placed in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords Library by a minister or the Speaker. The majority of deposited papers are placed by ministers in reply to parliamentary questions:

• Deposited Papers Database

Reading rooms for Members and their staff

The House of Commons Library provides reading rooms, a library loans service, and face-to-face enquiry points for Members and their staff:

• Online tour of the House of Commons Members Library

Information resources

The House of Commons Library provides Members and their staff with access to a range of resources:

• subscription news services and specialist legal databases;
• current awareness emails collated by information professionals;
• bespoke training and events;
• indexing of parliamentary information and debates.

Further information

Further information about the House of Commons Library can be obtained from the House of Commons Information Office.