Responsibilities
Our guides to People, Events and Places provide short descriptions about the House of Commons, its famous buildings and most senior office holders.
Our Brief Guides explain the work of the House, how laws are made and the work of MPs.
The Frequently Asked Questions section of the website answers some of our most popular enquiries.
We provide a range of lists on the membership of the House and its committees:
We also produce the Parliamentary Calendar which displays the forthcoming business of the House.
The Sessional Information Digest (which ceased publication in 2012) provided the dates of sittings, stages of legislation, the work of committees, documents and membership information for previous parliamentary sessions.
Please note that enquiries on the implementation or interpretation of legislation, can best be answered by the Information Office of the Government Department responsible for the act.
If you have questions about the policies of political parties then please contact the political party directly.
If you have an enquiry about the House of Lords, please contact the House of Lords Information Office.
Directories, Guides etc.
The HCIO is happy to proof read text about the House of Commons or Palace of Westminster. This is in the interest of providing accurate information about Parliament.
Access to Documents
The HCIO does not supply or lend parliamentary papers or official publications but can provide bibliographic details and references. Publications can be purchased from The Stationery Office and the Parliamentary Bookshop and many are available on the Parliament or Office for Public Sector Information websites.
Photocopies of out of print parliamentary publications can be obtained (for a charge) from the Parliamentary Archives, which keep records from both Houses of Parliament.
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