PARLIAMENT

Situated on the banks of the River Thames in London, the Palace of Westminster is one of Britain's best known landmarks. Parliament has occupied its current site since 1099, the year Westminster Hall was built. The present House of Commons chamber was rebuilt in 1948 after the building was severely damaged in a bombing raid during the Second World War.

Click here to learn more about the history of the House of Commons.

Parliament online

You can find out more about the work of Parliament at www.parliament.uk

All House of Commons publications are available on this site. These include Hansard, the daily record of parliamentary proceedings, all Bills, and all reports of the Select Committees which scrutinise the work of Government.

You can also view live proceedings from both Houses of Parliament via the internet. Go to parliamentlive.tv for live coverage.

There is also an interactive site for schools at www.explore.parliament.uk

Tours of Parliament

If you are travelling to London and would like to visit the Palace of Westminster, my office can arrange tours of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. In some instances, we can also arranges tickets to the public gallery, subject to availability. There is a charge for tours, which are organised by professional guides.

At present, tours are only available on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and on Fridays - all day if the Commons are not sitting, late afternoon if they are. There will be no access to the Commons chamber after 09.30 on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

To arrange a tour, please call us on 0141 561 0333. Early booking is advisable.

What's on in Parliament
For details of current business in the House of Commons click here. For a list of Bills currently going through Parliament click here. You can read the official report of proceedings in Parliament - Hansard - by clicking here.