Methodology
How we keep the data accurate
bugben exists to make UK Parliament legible to everyone — and that only works if people can trust what they read. This page sets out, in plain terms, where our data comes from, how we keep it accurate, and the standards we hold ourselves to.
Our principles
Authoritative sources only
Every parliamentary record on bugben is drawn directly from the official UK Parliament data services and other recognised open-data providers. We do not scrape, paraphrase, or second-guess the public record — we present it.
Verified and reconciled
Data is validated against a strict schema as it is ingested, cross-checked between sources where they overlap, and re-synchronised on a fixed schedule so what you read reflects the live state of Parliament.
Transparent and correctable
We show our working, cite our sources, and make it easy to flag anything that looks wrong. When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly and openly.
Where our data comes from
We do not generate, interpret, or alter official records. Everything you see is drawn from authoritative public sources, presented faithfully:
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UK Parliament API
Bills, Members, divisions, and parliamentary stages — the primary system of record for everything happening in the Commons and the Lords.
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legislation.gov.uk
The official home of UK legislation, used for the full text and enacted status of Acts of Parliament.
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Open Parliament Licence
Parliamentary material is reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence, which governs how we may use and present official data.
How we keep it accurate
Accuracy is not a one-off check; it is a pipeline. Every record passes through the same four stages before it reaches you.
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1
Ingest
We pull from authoritative APIs on a fixed cadence. Records are fetched in full rather than sampled, so we never present a partial picture of a bill or a member.
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2
Validate
Each record is checked against a strict schema before it is stored. Malformed or incomplete records are rejected and logged rather than published, so a bad upstream record cannot quietly corrupt what you see.
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3
Reconcile
Where two sources describe the same entity — for example a bill and its resulting Act — we reconcile them against a stable identifier so the same thing is never shown twice or under two conflicting statuses.
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4
Refresh
Parliamentary data moves daily. We re-synchronise on a regular schedule and surface a clear "last updated" signal, so freshness is never left to guesswork.
Neutrality is part of the method
Data quality is not only about being factually correct — it is about being fair. We do not editorialise on bills or members, we do not assign them political scores, and we present every party and position by the same rules.
Where we summarise, we summarise neutrally and link back to the primary source so you can always read the original for yourself.
Public voting, made representative
When we publish how the public feels about a bill or a question of the day, a raw tally is not enough — the people who happen to respond are rarely a perfect cross-section of the country. So we apply established survey-research techniques.
Responses are weighted by known demographic factors — age band, region, and recalled 2024 general-election vote among them — so that the headline figure reflects the nation rather than simply our most active members. Weighted results are clearly labelled as such, and the demographic information used for weighting is collected only with consent and handled in line with our privacy policy.
Looking ahead
Raising the bar on representativeness
We are continually strengthening the rigour behind our published figures. As part of that work we are developing an additional, opt-in verification step for members who join our panel — a foundation for producing robust, representative readings of public opinion on the questions that matter, including future elections.
We are taking this carefully and responsibly, and we will say more in due course. Our commitment is constant: clear methods, honest figures, and respect for the people who take part.
Questions about our data
- Where does bugben get its data?
- All parliamentary information — bills, Acts, MPs, Lords, and division votes — comes directly from the official UK Parliament data services and legislation.gov.uk. We are a presentation layer over the public record; we do not author or interpret the underlying data.
- How accurate is the information on bugben?
- Because we mirror authoritative sources rather than re-key information by hand, our records are as accurate as the official public record they are drawn from. We validate every record against a strict schema on ingestion and reconcile overlapping sources, which removes the most common causes of error — typos, duplication, and stale status.
- How often is the data updated?
- Parliamentary data is re-synchronised on a regular, automated schedule throughout the day. Each page reflects the most recent successful synchronisation, and the underlying records carry the dates published by Parliament itself.
- Does bugben editorialise or take a political position?
- No. bugben is non-partisan by design. We do not editorialise on bills, members, or votes, and we do not rank or score them by any political measure. Our goal is informed citizens, not directed ones.
- How are public voting results made representative?
- Raw votes from our community are not the same as a representative national picture. We weight responses by known demographic factors — such as age band, region, and recalled 2024 general-election vote — so that the published figure reflects the country rather than simply whoever happened to respond. Weighting is applied transparently and the headline figures are clearly labelled.
- What happens if something is wrong?
- We treat corrections as a priority. If you spot an error, contact us at [email protected]. Where the issue originates upstream in an official source, we flag it and update as soon as the corrected record is published.
Spotted something wrong?
We treat corrections as a priority. If a record looks inaccurate or out of date, tell us and we will investigate promptly.