PARLIAMENTARY RECESS

When Parliament is not sitting, Daniel is working hard in the Constituency dealing with Constituents' problems and concerns, visiting local people and organisations and replying to the hundreds of letters, emails and telephone calls that he receives.

Contrary to popular myth, Daniel and his fellow MPs do not have three months' holiday in the summer holiday when Parliament is in its summer recess.

Recess is the time that MPs get a chance to focus one hundred percent on their Constituency. Daniel spends the summer - as well as the Christmas and Easter recesses - working in the Constituency Office, as well as getting out and about around Shrewsbury & Atcham.

what Daniel does in westminster

Along with all other MPs, Daniel has been elected by the people of his Constituency to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons.

When Parliament is 'sitting', Daniel spends the majority of his time working in Westminster, raising issues affecting his Constituents, attending debates, voting on new laws, sitting on committees, attending meetings and many other activities.

DEBATES

Daniel will spend a lot of time attending debates in the Chamber of the House of Commons, when he will sometimes speak on behalf of his Constituents, as well as listening to the contributions made by other MPs. Debates are often about proposed new laws, but may be more general, or about a key current issue affecting the country.

QUESTION TIME

Daniel can ask questions of Ministers during question time. He can only ask a question to the Prime Minister if he gets a place to do so in the weekly ballot of MPs, so this only happens once in a while.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATES

Daniel is also often in Westminster Hall, which is the second Chamber of the Commons, where there are often debates on local issues, sometimes led by himself, or else by other MPs with constituencies in the area. If Daniel wishes to organise a Westminster Hall debate, then he must send the proposed subject into a ballot, according to which Government Department is holding debates on any particular day.

RAISING ISSUES

Daniel attends meetings in Westminster and nearby Government buildings with Ministers, officials from Government Departments and representatives of other bodies. This allows him to raise issues that are of concern to Constituents and other matters of policy and practice.

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

Daniel is able to put Parliamentary Questions to Ministers, which will result in an oral or written answer, all of which are published. This can be used to obtain information from Government Departments, or to bring important matters to the attention of the relevant Ministers. He has submitted hundreds of questions since becoming an MP in 2005.

SELECT COMMITTEES

Daniel has served on various select committees since becoming an MP, which involves attending committee meetings that scrutinise particular Government Departments or issues.

RECEIVING VISITORS

Daniel welcomes individuals and groups to Westminster who have come to lobby him, sometimes as part of a mass lobby. He also welcomes groups, such as schools, who are touring the Palace of Westminster, and he may have question and answer sessions with them.

ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS

Daniel belongs to various All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) which are groups of MPs (and Lords) who have an interest in particular topics. He therefore spends some of his time attending meetings of these groups, as well as organising those groups in which he has an official role, such as the APPG for Dairy Farmers, which he set up and chairs, and the APPG for Poland, for which he is Treasurer.