Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP for Bolton West

Frequently Asked Questions...

Ask Ruth Which constituency do you represent?

I am the Member of Parliament for Bolton West. The Bolton West constituency includes: Blackrod, Daisy Hill, Fourgates, Hart Common,  Heaton, Horwich, Hulton, Johnson Fold, Lostock, Smithills, Westhoughton and Wingates.  

Which Cabinet post do you hold?

I am currently Secretary of State for Transport

What does the Department for Transport do?

The Department for Transport's aim is transport that works for everyone. This means a transport system which balances the needs of the economy, the environment and society.

The Department for Transport provides leadership across the transport sector to achieve its objectives, working with regional, local and private sector partners to deliver many of the services. 

Which previous posts have you held in government?

1998 - 2001 Principal Private Secretary to Nick Brown (Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food); 2001 - May 2002 Economic Secretary to the Treasury; May 2002 - Sept 2004 Financial Secretary to the Treasury; Sept 2004 - Dec 2004 Minister for the Cabinet Office; Dec 2004 - May 2006 Secretary of State for Education and Skills; May 2006 - June 2007 Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Minister for Women; June 2007- Present Secretary of State for Transport.

How can I get in touch with you?

You can write to me at the House of Commons, London, SW1 0AA or at my Constituency Office, Studio 4, Horwich Business Centre, 86 Lee Lane, Horwich, BL6 7AE. You can also telephone me on 01204 693351. Alternatively, you can email me at kellyr@parliament.uk.

Can I meet you?

Yes, you can. I offer regular free advice surgeries to my constituents in Bolton West. For information on when and where the next surgery will be held, as well as how to make an appointment, please contact my Constituency Office.

Can you arrange a visit to Westminster for me?

Yes. Simply contact my Constituency Office and ask for details or see the Visit Parliament section of my website.

About Parliament What do we mean by 'Parliament'?

Parliament is the highest legislative authority in the United Kingdom – the institution responsible for making and repealing UK law. It is also known as the Legislature. It consists of three parts:

• House of Commons
• House of Lords
• Crown

• Make laws (legislation) – the three constituent parts of Parliament all have to agree before a new law can be passed.
• Examine the work of Government – the House of Commons and House of Lords scrutinise the work of Government in debates, parliamentary questions and through committees of inquiry known as Select Committees. These procedures force the Government to publicly explain and defend their policies.
• Control finance – only the House of Commons can give permission for the Government to control taxes. The House of Commons also decides what taxes are collected and how the money shall be spent.
• Protect the individual - Parliament safeguards the interests of the public as a whole by examining the work of Government. Individual Members of Parliament can also help to protect the rights of the individual. Anybody who feels they have been unfairly treated can complain to their MP and they can then investigate the problem and help to provide a solution.
• Examine European proposals – both Houses of Parliament have committees which examine European proposals before they become law. The UK sometimes has to alter its laws to bring them into line with new European laws. Parliament is then able to prepare for the necessary changes.
• Debate current affairs – both Houses of Parliament hold general debates on matters of national and international importance. These debates can be on any subject.

What does a Member of Parliament (MP) do?

MPs are elected to represent their constituency to Parliament in Westminster. They also vote on the government's legislation, as well as fulfilling other varying duties such as sitting on Select Committees.

How many MPs are there in the House of Commons?

There are 646 MPs. Labour has 353 MPs, the Conservatives have 195, the Liberal Democrats have 63, and there are 34 MPs including the Speaker and his 3 deputies as well as MPs from other parties or who are independents.

Where can I find a complete list of MPs?

The House of Commons Information Office can answer enquiries on the business, history and membership of the House of Commons. You may telephone on 020 7219 4272, email at hcinfo@parliament.uk or write to the House of Commons Information Office, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA.

How do I know how an MP has voted?

To find out how an MP voted in a particular division (or vote) you can look at the full division list in Hansard. At the end of each session, the House of Commons Library produces a list showing how many times each Member voted during that session. 

What is Hansard?

The Official Report (Hansard) is the edited verbatim report of proceedings in both Houses.  Commons Hansard covers proceedings in the Commons Chamber, Westminster Hall and Standing Committees.   

Lords Hansard covers proceedings in the Lords Chamber and its Grand Committees. Members’ words are reported with repetitions and redundancies omitted and with obvious mistakes omitted, but nothing is left out which adds to the meaning of the speech or illustrates the argument.

Both Official Reports also contain the relevant Written Ministerial Statements and Written Answers. Hansard can be viewed daily on the Parliamentary website http://mirror.parliament.uk/hansard/hansard.cfm

Am I allowed to watch Parliamentary debates?

Yes, members of the public are admitted to the Public Gallery.   You can also view parliament on Parliament live via: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/

What is an Early Day Motion (EDM)?

This is an informal term for a request, or notices of motion, by an MP in the House of Commons for a debate “on an early day” but for which no date has been fixed. Very few are debated and it is generally used as a way for MPs to put on record their opinion on a subject and canvass support for it from fellow Members.

Unfortunately I cannot sign an EDM as I am a government minister and bear collective responsibility for government decisions.

What is a Ten Minute Rule Bill?

In the House of Commons, Bills introduced under the ten-minute rule are one of the ways in which back bench MPs (private Members) can introduce legislation.

However, the process is used more as a means of making a point on the need to change the law on a particular subject as there is little parliamentary time available so they mainly provide the opportunity for MPs to test Parliament's opinion on a particular subject.

What is a Bill, and how does it become law?

A Bill is a proposal for a new law which is debated by Parliament. A Bill becomes an Act when it has received Royal Assent. A Bill may be introduced into either House, with the exception of Money Bills which the Lords cannot initiate or amend.

The procedure of passing a Public Bill is similar in both Houses. The stages are: first reading; second reading; committee stage; report stage; third reading; passage through the House of Lords; Royal Assent.

Public Bills introduced by a backbench member are called Private Members’ Bills. In addition to Public Bills there are also Private Bills; Hybrid Bills and Draft Bills.

What is the House of Lords?

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament and consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. The Lords Temporal consist of hereditary peers, life peers, and life peers created to help carry out the judicial duties of the House (up to 12 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary - or Law Lords - and a number of other Lords of Appeal).

Crossbenchers, many of whom have specialist knowledge and expertise, do not vote with a political party. Members of the House of Lords receive no salary for their parliamentary work, but they can claim for expenses incurred in attending the House (for which there are maximum daily rates) and for certain travelling expenses.

Further information about Parliament, as well as details of MPs and records in Hansard, may be found on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk.

Devolution 

What is Devolution?  

Devolution is the transfer of Whitehall (Central Government)  powers in areas like education and health - but not, for example, defence - to the UK's nations and regions.  Scotland has the most power followed by Northern Ireland, Wales and London.  

The devolution settlement in the United Kingdom is often described as asymmetrical -there are fundamental differences between the arrangements in each country.  

The settlements in Scotland and Northern Ireland have features in common. Both have a legislature, which can pass primary as well as secondary legislation in areas which are not reserved for Westminster. They also have a separate executive, accountable to that legislature.  

The devolution settlement in Wales is different. The National Assembly for Wales is a single corporate body, including both the 'parliamentary' and 'executive' functions within one legal entity. The Assembly can only make delegated legislation – for example, regulations – within the framework of Acts of the UK Parliament.

About Government

What is the Government?

The Government is the institution that runs the country. It is also known as the Executive. The Government formulates policy and introduces legislation in Parliament. Members of the Government are usually either members of the House of Commons or House of Lords.

This enables Parliament to keep a check on their work by asking questions or debating the issues.  

Who is the Prime Minister?

When the results of a General Election are known the Queen invites the leader of the party winning the most seats in the House of Commons to become Prime Minister and to form a Government. T

The Prime Minister is the leader of the Government and has a home and offices at 10 Downing Street. S/He must be a member of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. The current Prime Minister is the Rt Hon. Gordon Brown MP.

What is the Cabinet?

The most senior members of the Government are known as the Cabinet. The members of the Cabinet are chosen by the Prime Minister.

The majority of the members are drawn from the House of Commons, although there are always a few members from the House of Lords.

What positions make up the Cabinet?

The Prime Minister decides which positions will be included in the Cabinet. Heads of Government Departments, known as Secretaries of State, will usually be Cabinet Ministers as well as senior figures such as the Lord Chancellor.

There is no limit on the size of the Cabinet but the number of salaried Secretaries of State is limited to 21 by the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975.

What are Government Departments?

 The work of the Government is divided among Civil Service Departments which specialise in a particular subject such as Health, Defence and Transport.

The number and responsibilities of Government Departments can be changed by the Prime Minister.  

About Elections What is a general election?

A general election is held when the Prime Minister calls for one, though he must do this at least every five years. It consists of the election of MPs for every single constituency in the United Kingdom. According to the First Past the Post System the party that wins the greatest number of constituency seats forms the government.

What is a by-election?

A by-election is held for an individual constituency, unlike a general election. They are generally called whenever a sitting MP is unable to continue to meet his/her duties (eg. due to illness or retirement) and a new MP must be elected.

What is a European election?

An election is held across Europe every five years to choose the 732 members of the European Parliament (known as MEPs) from the 25 countries that make up the European Union (EU). 78 MEPs are elected to represent the United Kingdom.

MEPs have an important say in a wide range of laws affecting people who live in EU countries. They also deal with the EU budget that supports many projects in the UK and they have an important role in overseeing how EU funds are spent.

What are local elections? Local authorities consist of elected councilors, who are voted for in a way quite like that for elections of Members of Parliament, except that proportional representation is used in Northern Ireland.

To stand for election, candidates must either be registered as an elector or have some other close connection within the electoral area of their candidature, such as their principal place of employment. 

If you live in Bolton West you will be electing councillors to the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.  

Who can vote in elections?

For general and by-elections, a voter must be at least 18 years old and a British subject who has been a resident of the United Kingdom within 15 years of the election. Persons whose permanent residence is abroad cannot vote in local elections.

How can I vote?

There are two ways to vote in elections at the moment, either by postal vote, sent to Bolton Town Hall or, if you prefer the more traditional method, by the ballot box at the Polling Station.

So if I'm British and 18 I can just walk into a polling station and cast my vote? I

It's not quite that simple. You have to be registe with the electoral register before you can cast your vote. Electoral registration takes place locally at each local council electoral registration office. You can register to vote at any time during the year, by filling in a registration form.

The electoral register is updated on a monthly basis, except between September and November when each local council performs an annual canvass of their area.

When was the first ever general election held?

The first ever general election held under modern rules (in which both male and female British subjects could vote on equal terms) was held in 1929 (though it was not until 1945 that the practices of plural voting and two-member constituencies were abolished), though general elections (with a much smaller electorate) had been going on much longer.