Reaching out
With all the hoo-ha about the need for Parliament to reconnect with the public, the is certainly trying.
Tomorrow, its members will take their inquiry into the Department for International Development's aid programme in Bangladesh to the Bangladeshi community in Birmingham.
They're asking for thoughts on: the amount DFID allocates to its programme in Bangladesh and the type of work it supports; whether DFID's efforts to build effective institutions and support good governance are having an impact; if DFID's strategy for reducing poverty and inequality, including gender inequality, is the right one; how DFID can best help low-lying Bangladesh deal with the impact of climate change and natural disasters, and what role should initiatives led by community groups and NGOs play in helping to reduce poverty and increase access to basic services?
They're also keen to discover if the Bangladeshi community in the UK could do more to support development efforts in Bangladesh.
The session at 11.30am in the Balsall Heath Church Centre, Birmingham is the first of two planned sessions. The second will be in Tower Hamlets.
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
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