I wonder how many members are aware of the tour of the Houses of Parliament and House of Lords?
You can join an "official" tour by booking in advance.
However, we were advised that if we contacted our Member of Parliament, it was highly likely that they would arrange for us to have a tour.
We did this and we were contacted by our MP's Personal Assistant asking what dates we were interested in – we gave dates but she replied shortly afterwards and said that tours on those dates were fully booked, but, if we wished, she would personally show us around! We accepted of course, and she arranged for us to meet her at Portcullis House (over the road from the Houses of Parliament). The building has high security and we had our photograph taken and were issued with security passes, and then our escort came and collected us.
To say that it was interesting is an understatement. The young lady showed us all over the Houses of Parliament, and the House of Lords, all the while explaining so much of its history – a very knowledgeable young lady. She made it so interesting and it was extremely nice to have a personal tour, unlike the guided tour groups we encountered.
So, if you are interested, think seriously about contacting your Member of Parliament for, hopefully, as good a visit as ours was.
There was no charge to us for this service, but I believe that the official tour is around £15 per head.