Industry and Parliament Trust
Encyclopedia
The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT
) is a charity that works to promote the mutual understanding of Parliament and business. It works within the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, the European Parliament
and with organisations from all sectors of industry. It is non-partisan, non-lobbying and not-for-profit.
Its activities include:
The Industry and Parliament Trust is based in Whitehall
, London
, close to the Houses of Parliament.
. Most Fellowships consist of 18 days over 18 to 24 months, and all programmes are explicitly educational, intended to give parliamentarians a greater understanding of the issues facing business and the British economy.
High-profile Fellows include:
All Fellows receive a cartoon upon completion of their Fellowship, an original copy of which is retained at the British Cartoon Archive
at the University of Kent
.
MP
The Chief Executive is Nick Maher who began at the IPT in July 2011 having previously served in the Ministry of Defence on a team constructing a 'New Employment Model' for the Armed Forces. His predecessor was Sally Muggeridge, who served as Chief Executive for seven years.
The IPT employs 11 staff, all based in Whitehall, London.
When the IPT was set up, just 15% of MPs had any direct business experience. Today that figure is around 46%. Needless to say there is still a substantial proportion of MPs without the necessary understanding of business
In October 2009 the IPT commissioned a research project into the business experience of the Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) who stood in the 2010 General Election. The research found that of the PPCs in winnable seats, less than half (48%) had any form of business management or financial services experience.
) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust).
IPT
IPT may refer to:* Department of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, NTNU* Illini Prosthetic Technologies, a prosthetics organization based in Illinois* Incendiary paint theory, a theory of the Hindenburg disaster...
) is a charity that works to promote the mutual understanding of Parliament and business. It works within the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and with organisations from all sectors of industry. It is non-partisan, non-lobbying and not-for-profit.
Its activities include:
- Fellowship programmes for Members of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs), Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), peersMembers of the House of LordsThis is a list of members of the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Lords Spiritual:-Lords Temporal:-Peers on leave of absence:...
and senior parliamentary staff. Fellowships provide the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in one more companies through bespoke programmes of placements; - Courses, seminars, panel discussions, lectures and events for policymakers, businesspeople and civil servants;
- Attachments for civil servants.
The Industry and Parliament Trust is based in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, close to the Houses of Parliament.
Fellowships
A quarter of the current House of Commons are Fellows of the Industry and Parliament Trust. Fellowships are open to all MPs, peers, UK MEPs and senior parliamentary staff irrespective of their political partyPolitical party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. Most Fellowships consist of 18 days over 18 to 24 months, and all programmes are explicitly educational, intended to give parliamentarians a greater understanding of the issues facing business and the British economy.
High-profile Fellows include:
- David BlunkettDavid BlunkettDavid Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
MP - Des BrowneDes BrowneDesmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun from 1997 to 2010...
MP - Baroness Jay of Paddington
- Denis MacShaneDenis MacShaneDenis MacShane is a British politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since the 1994 by-election and served as the Minister for Europe from 2002 until 2005, as well as being a current Policy Council member for Labour Friends of Israel.On 14 October 2010, it was announced...
MP - Lord Martin of Springburn, former Speaker of the British House of CommonsSpeaker of the British House of CommonsThe Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
- Lord MawhinneyBrian MawhinneyBrian Stanley Mawhinney, Baron Mawhinney PC is a British Conservative Party politician. He was a member of the Cabinet from 1994 until 1997 and a Member of Parliament from 1979 until 2005.-Early life:...
- Jacqui SmithJacqui SmithJacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith is a member of the British Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher and...
MP - Andrew StunellAndrew StunellRobert Andrew Stunell, known as Andrew Stunell, OBE is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Hazel Grove, and was first elected at the 1997 general election...
MP - Sir Nicholas WintertonNicholas WintertonSir Nicholas Raymond Winterton is a retired British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Macclesfield from 1971 until he retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election....
MP - Lord McFall
All Fellows receive a cartoon upon completion of their Fellowship, an original copy of which is retained at the British Cartoon Archive
British Cartoon Archive
The British Cartoon Archive is a department of the University of Kent, at Canterbury in the United Kingdom, and holds the national collection of political and social-comment cartoons from British newspapers and magazines...
at the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
.
Governance and secretariat
The IPT board of trustees includes five MPs and three members of the House of Lords. It also includes Brendan Keith, Clerk of the House of Lords, and Paul Evans, Principal Clerk of Select Committees. The current chair of the trustees is Baroness Harris of Richmond and the President is the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John BercowJohn Bercow
John Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
MP
The Chief Executive is Nick Maher who began at the IPT in July 2011 having previously served in the Ministry of Defence on a team constructing a 'New Employment Model' for the Armed Forces. His predecessor was Sally Muggeridge, who served as Chief Executive for seven years.
The IPT employs 11 staff, all based in Whitehall, London.
History
The IPT was founded in 1977 by the CEOs of 10 major British companies who sought to create dialogue between business and Parliament. It became a registered charity in 1983. The IPT has organised more than 600 Fellowship programmes since it was founded in 1977.When the IPT was set up, just 15% of MPs had any direct business experience. Today that figure is around 46%. Needless to say there is still a substantial proportion of MPs without the necessary understanding of business
In October 2009 the IPT commissioned a research project into the business experience of the Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) who stood in the 2010 General Election. The research found that of the PPCs in winnable seats, less than half (48%) had any form of business management or financial services experience.
Related organisations
The IPT has sister projects in Wales (Industry and National Assembly for Wales Association), Scotland (Scottish Parliament Business ExchangeScottish Parliament Business Exchange
The Scottish Parliament Business Exchange is promoted as an educational exchange allowing members of the Scottish parliament to learn more about all kinds of business. All corporate participants are required to sign a letter affirming they will not use the scheme for lobbying...
) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust).