Engaging with All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)

With over 600 established All-Party Parliamentary Groups, how should you best engage with them?

What are All-Party Parliamentary Groups?

APPGs are cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament, but they are an excellent mechanism to work through to build your networks and connect with relevant people interested in your research and expertise. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords, though many choose to involve individuals and organisations from outside Parliament in their administration and activities.

All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) consist of Members of both Houses and all parties who join together to examine a particular topic or interest. With over 600 established, they cover a diverse range of subjects, for example the built environment, health, and women and work or focus on a country of common interest.

They are not however official parliamentary bodies and they should not be confused with select committees.

Why engage with an APPG?

They are established for a rich variety of purposes. They provide a valuable opportunity for parliamentarians to engage with individuals and organisations outside Parliament who share an interest in the subject matter of their Group. Therefore they can be very receptive to approaches from researchers, research teams and organisations and can provide a forum for well-informed discussion and analysis.

How to engage with an APGG

By looking at the APPG register online you can identify a group most closely related to your research and/or expertise. Each APPG has its own webpage containing details of its members, the secretariat, upcoming meetings, topics and past publications. Get in touch with the secretariat to find out more about what the group is interested in, how your research and/or expertise can contribute and how you can get involved. Meetings are public so anybody can attend. By attending one or two you will be able to get a good understanding of how the group works and meet some members. Following them on social media (eg Twitter) can also help to build an understanding and offers the means for virtual engagement to support relationship building.

Ways to engage with an APPG

APPGs receive information from a variety of experts and sources. They also receive a lot of it and all of the time. It is therefore helpful to translate your research in to an accessible and tailored format for readers, who may not be experts in your subject area. These can consist of written research summaries, attending or speaking at events or communicating via social media. Whether in person or online, its always useful to have a short elevator pitch ready to go.

Inquiry submissions

APPGs can invite written submissions for inquiries, which provides an opportunity to present your evidence to policy professionals. You can find details of these online.