Women in Parliament

BBC Parliament has collected some of the best radio pieces relating to women in parliament from editions of Today in Parliament and Yesterday in Parliament.

Just click on the audio links to listen to specially edited pieces from the radio archive.

Today in Parliament

Monday 20 July

Health Secretary Andy Burnham has told the Commons a National Pandemic Flu Service will be in operation in England by the end of the week, "subject to testing".

The service will offer telephone and online help to take pressure off the NHS.

Mr Burnham said vaccines will be available from August with enough stockpiled for 30 million people by the end of the year.

Liberal Democrat Sandra Gidley MP, who was a pharmacist, blamed government department in-fighting for the late launch of the hotline.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 8 July

Leader of the House and Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman had to fend off the latest Conservative attack over public spending when she stood in for Gordon Brown at prime minister's questions.

William Hague accused ministers of planning cuts in spending but refusing to admit it. He said they are "Labour cuts, brought in by a Labour Chancellor, made necessary by the actions of a discredited Labour government over the last 12 years."

But Ms Harman insisted the government had re-built schools and hospitals, as well as having "paid down debt".

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 23 June

The new Speaker of the Commons John Bercow began his first full day in the role by telling MPs and ministers to avoid long-winded questions and answers.

Mr Bercow abandoned the formal uniform, worn to varying degrees by his predecessors.

Instead he appeared in a smart suit and simple gown to chair his first question time session.

Yesterday in Parliament

Wednesday 3 June

Jacqui Smith's plans to step down as home secretary at the next cabinet reshuffle dominated talk around Westminster on Tuesday.

After the revelations, Smith took her seat in the Commons to open debate on the immigration bill.

Her opposite numbers on the Conservative and Lib Dem front benches noted the first female home secretary's achievements during her two year tenure.

Today in Parliament

Monday 11 May

MPs went on to hold their first debate on the government's Equality Bill for England, Scotland and Wales.

Measures in this legislation include a new Equality Duty on public bodies, extended to cover sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age, and religion or belief; gender pay reports; and a ban on age discrimination outside the workplace.

The Leader of the Commons and Minister for Women Harriet Harman said it was a "strong" bill which would make the country "a fairer and more prosperous place for all its people".

Today in Parliament

Monday 11 May

Airlines should do more to prevent the trafficking of children "at source", the government has been told by the Liberal Democrats in the Lords.

Lord Brett, for the government, said there was a problem with false documents and traffickers "changing the nationality of a child en route".

"It is unfortunate, but a fact of life, that most immigration officers in Europe cannot tell a Korean from a Chinese," he added.

"Quite often a Korean passport is used to bring someone in and then recycled to bring someone else in."

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 22 April

Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced help for families in his Budget, including increases in child tax credits, changes in pension credits and for grandparents who look after their grandchildren for more than 20 hours a week.

There's also help for businesses and unemployed people.

Today in Parliament

Friday 27 March

Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris has been unsuccessful in trying to end the 300-year-old ban on Roman Catholics marrying the monarch or an heir to the throne.

His private member's bill would also have ended the ancient rule that women could succeed only when there was no male heir.

Today in Parliament

Friday 13 March

Parliament's search for ways of widening participation in Westminster continued this week.

The Speaker's Conference took a trip to Bethnal Green, east London, to speak to people from communities that are under-represented in the Commons.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 12 March

A report on child protection services in England - commissioned after the death of Baby P - has called for a "step change" in the way social workers are led and the way they do their jobs.

The report's author, Lord Laming, said there had to be quicker intervention to reduce the number of children killed by members of their own family, or by someone known to them.

Making a statement in the Commons, Children Secretary Ed Balls said that the government will accept all of the recommendations in the report in full.

Today in Parliament

Friday 27 February

A bill to improve support for people with autism has won the initial approval of the Commons, despite opposition from the government.

Conservative MP Cheryl Gillan came top of the ballot allotting parliamentary time to MPs to introduce their own legislation. She chose to focus on the issue of autism.

Her bill would place a legal duty on local councils and NHS bodies in England and Wales to fulfil their responsibilities towards people with the condition.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 3 February

Government plans to reform the rules for inquests have run into criticism.

Ministers want to exclude relatives and reporters from parts of some inquests on the grounds that they involve sensitive information which could have implications for national security.

But the Tories say the plans would damage public trust in the system.

And Justice Secretary Jack Straw faced claims that the inquest into the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes would have been held in secret under new government proposals.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 28 January

Shadow transport secretary the Conservative Theresa Villiers said expansion at Heathrow airport would place an "unacceptable cost" on the quality of life of millions of people.

Ms Villiers was speaking to a Tory motion, backed by the Liberal Democrats, calling on the government to rethink its policy.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 20 January

On the day Barack Obama was sworn in as the new US president, a cross-party committee met to discuss how Parliament could be made more representative of the population.

During the first hearing of a rarely-convened Speaker's Conference, the first black woman MP, Labour's Diane Abbott, said she favoured positive discrimination such as all-women shortlists.

Today in Parliament

Monday 19 January

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has launched a new Policing and Crime Bill, which seeks to crack down on binge drinking and prostitution, making it illegal to buy sex from women who are controlled by pimps.

Former Home Office minister Fiona Mactaggart is also in support of the new proposals on prostitution, which puts the onus on those who purchase sexual services, rather than the people who provide them.

However, the Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, opposed the new clause.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 9 December

Anyone now being tried for rape on the basis of DNA evidence might be freed following a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

Home Office Minister Lord West told the House of Lords that the government was bound to comply with the judgement, but added that he was "disappointed" by the ruling.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 9 December

Lady Manningham-Buller, the former head of M15, has told the House of Lords why she thinks more needs to be done to stop British Muslims being radicalised.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 4 December

In the Commons, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Leader of the House Harriet Harman outlined the government's position on the controversial arrest of the Conservative immigration spokesman, Damian Green.

Both faced intense questioning from MPs amid rowdy scenes in the House.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 3 December

The new session of Parliament opened with one of the shortest Queen's Speeches of the more than 50 Her Majesty has delivered.

Just 12 new bills were announced, including new measures to help the struggling economy and families who get into trouble paying their mortgages, and the Equality Bill to give new rights to women in the workplace and the disabled and the elderly.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 27 November

With Parliament preparing for state opening, Mark D'Arcy spoke to three MPs to review the year in Westminster:

• Mark Field for the Conservatives

• Susan Kramer for the Liberal Democrats

• Tom Harris for Labour

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 25 November

The Home Office is expected to re-classify lap dancing clubs as "sex encounter establishments".

Campaign group OBJECT gave evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, explaining why it supported the move.

Today in Parliament

Friday 21 November

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has proposed legislation to criminalise those who pay for sex from someone who is being "controlled" by pimps or criminal gangs.

Mark D'Arcy asked former Home Office Minister Fiona Mactaggart how the law might work in practice.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 18 November

During Commons questions, Housing Minister Margaret Beckett was asked whether the government's target of building 3 million new homes by 2020, including the creation of so called eco-towns, would still be met in the current economic down-turn.

Today in Parliament

Friday 14 November

The government has announced a rarely-used Speaker's Conference on the under-representation of women and ethnic minorities in Parliament.

Today in Parliament's Mark D'Arcy asked Leader of the House of Commons Harriet Harman what she hoped the conference would achieve.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 12 November

Commons Leader Harriet Harman made a statement to MPs on the Speaker's Conference.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were supportive of the government's proposal.

Today in Parliament

Monday 10 November

Liberal Democrat peer Lady Northover has appealed to the government for more details about a visit to Ethiopia by International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander.

Aid charities alleged that starving children were evicted from a hospital ward he visited to make conditions there seem more palatable.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 5 November

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has embarked on a new campaign to get people to cook again.

He told the Commons Health Select Committee that he thought the EU had much to answer for when it came to food labelling, prompting Labour MP Charlotte Atkins to ask him if he had a message for European Commissioners.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 5 November

Work and Pensions Minister Kitty Usher has told the Commons that the government would go ahead with reforms of the benefits system, including scrapping incapacity benefit and income support, despite the economic downturn.

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Jenny Willott said it was important to tackle unemployment at an early stage.

Today in Parliament

Friday 31 October

Ninety years after women first won the vote, the House of Commons has opened its first permanent display about the suffragette movement.

The display includes the scarf of Emily Wilding Davison, the only suffragette to die for the cause when she fell under the King's horse at Epsom races.

Mark D'Arcy interviews the deputy curator of the Commons, Melanie Unwin, and Labour MP Judy Mallaber, who sits on the House works of art committee, about the display on Friday 31 October.

Today in Parliament

Friday 31 October

The Commons has passed the Climate Change Bill, which aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions significantly and reduce the effects of global warming.

Mark D'Arcy spoke to Conservative MP Tim Yeo, Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson, and Labour MP Elliot Morely about the new laws on Friday 31 October.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 22 October

MPs have debated Britain's abortion laws again when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill came back to the Commons for its third reading.

The bill, which allows experiments on hybrid human-animal embryos, passed despite a rebellion by 16 Labour MPs.

Some MPs were angry that this stage of the bill's passage was allotted just three and a half hours for debate.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 21 October

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has defended Immigration Minister Phil Woolas over his out-spoken comments on the government's immigration policy.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 15 October

The government faced tough questioning over its handling of the economy and the multi billion pound bail-out of the banking system at prime minister's questions.

Labour's Deputy Leader, Harriet Harman stood in for Prime Minister Gordon Brown and told the Conservatives' William Hague, also a stand in, that our economy is in good shape.

She also defended her internet blog.

Today in Parliament

Monday 13 October

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has defended the government's Counter-Terrorism Bill after plans to bring in 42 days' detention without charge for terrorist suspects were defeated in the Lords.

She told the Commons that Britain faced a severe terrorist threat and that she would prepare emergency legislation, with the 42-day clause included, to be brought before the House if needed.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 8 October

The Home of the Grenadier Guards, Wellington Barracks in London is an "utter disgrace" according to Conservative peer Lady Sharples.

Defence Minister Lady Taylor accepted there were problems.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 22 July

The Speaker, Michael Martin, has announced an inquiry into how the government can get more women and ethnic minorities into Parliament.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 22 July

The Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, has been called to account in the Commons over the marking of the Sats tests for children in England.

He said there would be an inquiry into the delays but some MPs were not satisfied, including Labour's Barbara Keeley.

She said schools in her constituency were not only worried about the delays but about the quality of marking too.

Today in Parliament

Monday 21 July

The Conservative MP, John Bercow, reported back to government today on his Independent Review of services for children with special educational needs.

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, commissioned the report and has agreed to all 40 of its recommendations.

The government will appoint a "champion" for young people who have speech and language difficulties.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 17 July

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has told the Commons that crime is at its lowest since 1981, despite the perception that the streets are more dangerous than ever before.

She said police would be given greater freedom from red tape and targets.

London Labour MP Emily Thornberry talked of the stabbing of one of her constituents.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 15 July

Jack Straw, the Justice Minister, unveiled the government's Youth Crime Action Plan today.

£100 million more will be spent over the next three years to cut youth crime, including building more youth centres.

Later on, the government's crime adviser, Louise Casey, told of plans to engage the public more in the fight against crime.

However, Labour's Sian James raised concerns about this.

Today in Parliament

Friday 11 July

Abortion Rights were discussed today in Parliament, as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill came under further scrutiny.

The Liberal Democrat Evan Harris MP, the Conservative Nadine Dorries MP, and the Conservative Jacqui Lait MP, once again spoke up.

Jacqui Lait, importantly, wanted to end the requirement for all procedures to be supervised by a doctor.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 9 July

The Labour Leader of the House, Harriet Harman MP, found herself standing in for the prime minister, Gordon Brown, facing down attacks from the opposition over the government's handling of the economy.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 1 July

Cherie Blair has been speaking about her fears of knife crime as a mother of four children.

She was giving evidence to the Home Affairs committee on modern policing.

Today in Parliament

Monday 30 June

It appears the unthinkable has happened. School children are being given marks for writing obscenities. The government was asked why.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 26 June

Harriet Harman MP, Labour's Deputy Leader and Minister for Women, has defended the government's Equality Bill in the Commons.

Theresa May, Ms Harman's Conservative shadow, welcomed the Bill but said it was a "missed opportunity".

For the Liberal Democrats, equalities spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone said it was a "step in the right direction" but did not go far enough.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 19 June

The Lords got down to talking about Britishness this week, and the difficulties faced when balancing multi-culturalism and integration.

The Conservative Peer, Lady Warsi, had much to say on this vexed issue.

Today in Parliament

Thursday 19 June

The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Theresa May, took the government to task over the faltering economy and rising prices.

The Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, blamed global factors.

Today in Parliament

Wednesday 11 June

The prime minister's plans to extend the time terrorist suspects can be held without charge from 28 to 42 days have been passed in the Commons by just 9 votes.

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, was opposed by members of her own party including a heart-felt speech by the Labour MP Diane Abbott.

But Ann Widdecombe, a Conservative, and Lady Sylvia Hermon, of the Ulster Unionist Party voted with the government.

Today in Parliament

Tuesday 3 June

The government's plans for 10 new "eco-towns" came under attack from the Conservatives when Caroline Flint, the housing minister, had to respond to a debate led by the Conservative's Anne McIntosh.

Today in Parliament

Monday 2 June

The Liberal Democrat Peer, Lady Walmsley, wants nursery school children to get free fruit and vegetables as children in primary schools do.

However, the call was rejected by the government.

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