Living and Learning

How Parliament worked with social reformers to improve our health, working conditions and education over the last two centuries

A Nation's Health: From Elizabeth I to the NHS

Explore the Parliamentary Collections as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of our first NHS hospital by looking how Parliament influenced healthcare through the centuries.

Going to school

Parliament has been a central force in building and shaping the nation's system of state education, going back to the 1830s with the very first state grants to what were then privately run schools

Reforming society in the 19th century

In the 19th century, Parliament made reforms to improve the lives of men, women and children in the poorer sections of society

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Current parliamentary material on employment

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Find out more about the Parliamentary Archives