The House of Commons Information Office is a section within the House of Commons Department of Information Services.

The Office was set up in 1978 following a recommendation by the Services Committee in their report Services for the Public (July 1977). The Committee recommended there was "a need for the House to ensure that the public is well informed about its work" and that a "small information office be created within the library...dealing with enquiries from the public."

The office was thus established on 1 June 1978 and was originally known as The Public Information Office. It quickly evolved into a much bigger section in order to cope with the volume of calls it received. By 1982 the Office was responding to more than 50,000 enquiries annually and this figure rose to 69,000 in 1985 and was up to 95,000 in 1990. It was also one of the first sections to pioneer the use of computers and electronic publication in the House of Commons with the use of Viewdata.

The HCIO's original aims have changed little in its 30 year history and is still imbued with "Promoting public knowledge and understanding of the work and role of Parliament." The current HCIO office is a quick reference service for the public dealing with all aspects of the work, history and membership of the House of Commons. Its means of disseminating information have changed somewhat overtime and now puts a greater emphasis on online resources such as the Parliament website than even five years ago. The HCIO is now part of the Department for Information Services and consists of 13 full time equivalent staff. The head of the office is Dr Stephen McGinness.

The office deals with approximately 44,000 phone calls and 4,000 email enquiries per year. A substantial amount of information is provided by the HCIO factsheet collection, which is available via the Parliament website. The factsheet collection (65 in total) deals with subjects ranging from Parliamentary Questions to the Gunpowder plot.

Typical enquiries received by the office include:

Working in the telephone enquiry bureau of the House of Commons Information Office.

• Who's my MP?
• Which Department deals with...?
• How do I follow the progress of a bill through Parliament?
• How do I tour/visit Parliament?
• How do I find the Report on...?

The Office is also responsible for the production of the Weekly Information Bulletin, a publication providing detailed information on current and future business in Parliament. It is compiled by the editor (currently Mary Durkin) and two deputy editors. It is available in hardcopy from the The Stationery Office and in both pdf and html format from the Parliament website. A Sessional Information Digest is also published after each session. This is also available in electronic formats.

The HCIO holds a collection of Parliamentary images which are available for the public to use for non-commercial purposes. The Office houses a collection of photographs on the history, buildings and people within Parliament and there are also slides which can be borrowed on request.

The HCIO also plays a key coordination role for Freedom of Information requests to the House of Commons as a public body.

Recent developments within the HCIO have included the recording of podcasts on various Parliamentary topics and working with the Parliamentary Outreach team to provide talks to the public. The section celebrated its 30th anniversary in June.

The enquiry service can be contacted via the following:

House of Commons Information Office House of Commons SW1A 2TT

Tel: 020 7219 4272 Fax: 020 7219 5839 Email: hcinfo@parliament.uk

External links

Parliament website - http://www.parliament.uk/index.cfm

Weekly Information Bulletin - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmwib.htm

Sessional Information Digest - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmsid.htm

HCIO factsheets - http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_publications_and_archives/factsheets.cfm

The Stationery Office (TSO) - http://www.tso.co.uk/

References:

?Eighth Report from the Select Committee on House of Commons (Services) ? Services for the Public? HMSO, 20 July 1977

?The House of Commons Library: A History?, by David Menhennet, 2nd Edition 2000

?Twenty-ninth report of the House of Commons Commission, Financial Year 2006/07? HC 708, The Stationery Office