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.
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Its activities include:
The Industry and Parliament Trust is based in Whitehall, London, 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 House Staff irrespective of their political party. Most Fellowships consist of 18 days over 18 to 24 months, and all programmes are explicitly educational and non-lobbying, intended to give parliamentarians a greater understanding of the issues facing business and the British economy.
High-profile IPT Fellows include:
Former MPs who are IPT Fellows include:
List of current on-going Fellowships
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.
Governance and secretariat
The IPT Board of Trustees includes six 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 Presidents are the Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, the Speaker of the House of Lords, The Rt Hon Baroness D'Souza CMG, and Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, The Rt Hon Chris Grayling 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 13 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 Exchange) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust).