What the Parliamentary Unit does
The BMA has a high profile in the UK Parliament. In the Westminster Parliament, MPs and peers regularly refer to BMA policy during debates and BMA representatives are often invited to give evidence to Parliamentary committees. The Unit also liaises very closely with colleagues in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Brussels to co-ordinate the BMA's activity in those countries' parliaments and assemblies.
The Parliamentary Unit’s objectives are:
- To establish the BMA as the most influential professional body in Parliament on health matters
- To promote and defend the BMA’s and doctors’ interests in Parliament in support of the BMA’s policies
- To influence the views of politicians of all parties, and the political parties, on health-related issues
- To offer politicians assistance in drafting legislation, speeches, motions and questions
- To advise committee members and secretariat on opportunities in Parliament to promote their policies
- To provide an in-house monitoring service on Parliamentary activities.
1 - To act as the liaison between the BMA and the Westminster Parliament, promoting and defending BMA members' interests in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, and keeping politicians of all parties informed of BMA policy developments.
Methods include:
- Identifying MPs/Peers with an interest in health and related issues (such as education and science), then establishing and maintaining contact with them, their support staff and committees’ secretariats, through meetings, telephone calls and emails.
- Producing and updating briefing papers on topical health issues which are targeted at MPs/Peers for their use in debates, meetings and when speaking to the media. We also deal with a large number of requests from MPs/Peers of all parties for factual information on a wide range of subjects - medico-political, scientific, ethical and environmental - for use in debate, in committee or in answer to a constituent's query.
- Identifying opportunities to influence and promote BMA policies in Parliament by:
- writing Parliamentary Questions to seek information or clarify a government position;
- writing Early Day Motions for MPs to table to raise the profile on an issue;
- co-ordinating the BMA's activities with the various Parliamentary committees, including the submission of written and oral evidence to select committee inquiries and meeting with backbench committees and all party groups.
- influencing policy developments within political parties and organising campaigns to present the BMA’s views during general elections and by-elections.
Methods include:
- Encouraging members to complement our national activities by contacting their local MPs.
- Assisting members in their contact with their MPs on local issues and on how to organise meetings with MPs/Peers.
- Advising members on parliamentary procedure and how best to promote an issue in Parliament.
- Before Elections, putting Parliamentary Candidates in touch with local doctors to gain expert information on local health issues.
- Keeping BMA members up to date with health issues in Parliament via the BMA at Westminster website.
Methods include:
- Giving advice on how best to pursue an issue in Parliament.
- Monitoring events in Parliament and circulating extracts to relevant BMA committees.
- Providing biographical details of MPs/Peers to members who are meeting them.
- Keeping BMA staff up to date with health issues in Parliament the BMA at Westminster website.
Please contact the national offices' public affairs teams for information on contact with the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies.