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• A day in the life...
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A day in the life...

So what do MPs do all day? What tasks do they need to finish each day? What sort of skills would you need to be an MP?

Below is an example of an average day for an MP have a look at what they get up to and see if it's something you could do....

Master Zen, MP for Newtown constituency, North London.

Monday 5th April 2010

Morning

Reading: I got into my office about 9am and read some of the newspapers. I also discussed with my Researcher and Assistants some of the issues my constituents had written to me about in the last week.

Question time:  Each day, MPs meet and can ask a different department in government questions about how the country is being run.  Today, I asked the Minister for Energy and Climate Change a question about their plans for funding research into renewable energy.

Business in the House of Commons:  Each day we discuss how the country is being run and about new laws that the government suggests.  Today we discussed changes that need to be made to a new law called the ‘Equality Bill’. 

Afternoon

Debate:  There are often large discussions in the Houses of Parliament.  Today I spoke at a discussion on youth crime and told other MPs about some of the successful projects going on in my constituency to turn vulnerable young people away from crime.

Interviews:  I was on a panel for BBC Radio 5 live being asked questions about the UK’ s housing problems and told them about the problems with over-crowded council housing in my constituency. Afterwards I was recorded for a TV programme on ITV, talking about immigration and the good and bad effects it has had on London in the last 10 years.

Letters:  I went to my constituency office in North London to read letters from constituents and to sign letters that my assistants had written for me. 

Evening

Events:  I attended a meeting of a Chinese community group in my constituency  to talk about a charity project that they would like me to help with. Lots of charities use the Houses of Parliament to hold events and talk to MPs about their work.

I attended the 100th birthday party of one of my constituents. Lovely cake - been too busy to eat much today!

Visit this website http://www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/games/mp-for-a-week/ to play ‘MP for a week’ and see if you can handle an MP’s busy diary.