Author: W4MP Editor

House of Commons Library Research Briefings on Afghanistan

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Parliament has been recalled on Wednesday 18 August 2021 to debate the situation in Afghanistan.

You can find relevant Commons Library research and analysis on the Commons Library website here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/type/research-briefing/

Please note that the situation in Afghanistan is fast moving and briefings should be read as correct at the time of publication.

Hotlines list updated 18 August 2021

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With the developing situation in Afghanistan, we have been updating the hotlines list as soon as we have received further contact information and useful links, so please do keep checking back to the list online.

If you have any useful contacts or information that are not on our list, please do let us know.

Please can you ensure that you use only the current list linked from this page.

Please do not save or print the hotlines list, as this risks you using incorrect details and causing annoyance to the people you are contacting.

Contacting your MP about the situation in Afghanistan

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We are all deeply affected by the situation in Afghanistan and the human tragedy that we are seeing.  All MPs and their staff understand that constituents are extremely anxious about their friends and relatives in Afghanistan and want to do all they can to help them.

Every MP is trying to help a lot of desperate people and only your own MP is able to help you, so if you do want to ask for assistance please email only your own MP.

If you copy in all MPs, you are actually hindering them in their efforts to help people as quickly as possible.  It may feel that you are more likely to get attention if you contact lots of MPs, but this is not the case.

If you are actively seeking assistance for your relatives, please read this page: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/in-the-constituency/casework-guides/issue-by-issue/afghanistan/

Information relating to the developing situation in Afghanistan

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As the situation in Afghanistan develops, w4mp is trying to obtain hotline contact details to assist MPs’ offices. The hotlines list has been updated this morning and will be updated each time new information is received.

Please let w4mp know if you have any contact details or other useful information which is not on the list and we will update it as quickly as possible.

Members of the public can look at the travel advice here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/afghanistan

There is a 24 hour public helpline – [email protected]

For people who are currently in Afghanistan, they should call the British Embassy Kabul on +93 (0) 700 102 000 or +44 (0)1908 516666 and select the option “Consular services for British nationals” as soon as possible.

Further information about the British Embassy in Kabul can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-kabul and you can follow its Twitter feed here: https://twitter.com/UKinAfghanistan

The House of Commons Library has produced a research briefing – ‘Resettlement scheme for locally employed civilians in Afghanistan’ which can be found here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9286/

“As British and coalition forces withdraw from Afghanistan there are increasing fears for the safety of thousands of former locally employed Afghan civilians who assisted them. This briefing examines the Government’s policies for resettlement of locally employed civilians in the UK.”

The Parliamentary Staff Awards 2021

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Parliamentary Staffers Awards now open!!

Prospect Magazine and MAPSA are delighted to announce that entries to the third annual Parliamentary Staffers Awards are now open, so please get nominating!! We know how difficult the last year has been for staff and offices of every MP and Peer, with unprecedented increases in workloads and stress, alongside the challenges of working remotely. We also know that staffers have risen to the challenge amazingly and now is the time for you to be recognised and rewarded for that.

The awards serve as a way to recognise all the hard work and contributions carried out by staffers on both parliamentary and constituency work, with the winners being announced at a ceremony in parliament in the autumn.

We are delighted to have warm words of support from the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle: “MPs’ staff are the unsung heroes – they routinely stay late, work under pressure, have to deal with all manner of enquiries, and yet still manage to make us look good and ensure the smooth running of our offices. I think the Parliamentary Staffer Awards’ event is a fantastic way of saying ‘thank you’ to this amazing group of people for what they do for us, and the impact they have on the lives of our constituents.”

Entries are now open with the ceremony taking place on Tuesday 9th November 2021 on the Terrace Pavilion, Houses of Parliament. 

Full details and entry links can be found here: The Parliamentary Staff Awards 2021: Entries are now open – Prospect Magazine and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] 

Wellbeing Hub for Members’ Staff

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The Wellbeing Hub for Members’ staff can now be accessed directly from your desktop using the orange and blue icon which should now have appeared.

The Wellbeing Hub brings together all resources into one place, with information on what support services are available and ideas, tools and templates to support you with your wellbeing. It is designed by Members’ staff who understand the challenges of your roles and have tailored the resources accordingly.

The site was created by the Wellness Working Group, a cross party group of Members’ staff, with the support of the House. Please feel free to get in touch with us on [email protected] to hear more about their work or tell them your thoughts on the Hub. 

If you are looking for some support or if you are interested in what more you can do to support your team’s wellbeing at this difficult time, then visit the Wellbeing Hub via the desktop icon to find tools to help you.

Hollie Gazzard Trust and MSSS talk on personal safety

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This is an event from the Wellness Working Group

Wednesday 14 July 14
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Nick Gazzard from the Hollie Gazzard Trust talking to the group about Hollie’s story and the work of the Trust. He will be joined by Neil Cahalin from Member Security Services at the House to speak about available personal security measures available through Parliament.

About the Hollie Gazzard Trust:

Hollie Gazzard was murdered by her former partner following domestic abuse and stalking at the age of 20. Hollie’s dad, Nick is determined to raise awareness and help educate other of these issues and what this can lead to using Hollie’s tragedy as a way of getting the message across. He will explain in detail what happened to Hollie, how he turned this awful tragedy into something positive with the creation of the Hollie Gazzard Trust as Hollie’s legacy. A key aim of the Trust is prevention and he will speak about Hollie Guard a personal safety app that has now been downloaded over 50,000 times, along with the development of Hollie Guard Extra. He will finish with a Q&A session and will answer any question about what happened to Hollie, how this has affected him as a father and the family, along with the topics of domestic abuse and stalking.

RSVP to [email protected]

National Audit Office (NAO) / Education Team

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This is a briefing / Q&A session from the Members’ Services Team.

National Audit Office (NAO) / Education Team

The National Audit Office is the nation’s independent spending watchdog. It reports to, and is funded by, Parliament to value for money reports on subjects ranging from HS2, Defence contracts, local authority finances, Covid-19, to environmental sustainability. In this session, Adrian Jenner and Sadie Smith from the NAO will give a brief overview on how they can assist Members’ staff with queries on major programmes and Departmental spending, and point them in the direction of resources which can assist with drafting speeches, briefing papers, articles, and constituency correspondence.

We will also hear from the Education and Engagement Outreach Team who do brilliant work organising events, tours and activities to promote the work of Parliament. They will provide an update on their work and give details of activities to help Members’ offices better engage with their constituencies.

If you would like to register a question ahead of the event, please email [email protected]. You will also be given the opportunity to ask questions during the session.

10:00 – 11:00
Tuesday 13 July 2021

To register, please go here: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=4536

Regional Roadshows – calling North West Members’ staff

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The regional roadshows are getting a revamp and the Members’ Services Team would love to hear your thoughts on what should be included. All MPs’ staff are invited to contribute.

If you are available 15 July 9.30 – 10.15am and would be willing to provide them with some feedback about what should be included in the 7 September North-West roadshow then please contact [email protected] and they will send you a calendar invitation to the Teams meeting.

Further information on roadshows can be found here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/support-in-your-job/members-staff-roadshows/