UK Parliament Week is an annual programme of events that engage and connect people from across the country with Parliament, its work and Members. Members’ support is vital to raising the profile and reach of UK Parliament Week across the county.

This year’s it  runs from 14-20 November with lots of activities planned, including:

Photo opportunities 

Throughout UK Parliament Week, there will be a photo opportunity for Members to have their photograph taken with a series democracy themed placards.

Each day the theme will change, focusing on a different way of engaging with Parliament. All members are invited to come along, take a picture, and share with their online following.

Spread the word 

Let your local schools, press and organisations know about UK Parliament Week. Add information about it to your website and promote it on your social media platforms. Please visit our website for the online version of the UK Parliament Week logo goo.gl/OfoS6T.

There is also a Thunderclap campaign thndr.me/vckq0f. By becoming a supporter of the campaign, you can help increase the presence of UK Parliament Week on social media.

House of Commons launches new mobile app for division results

From Wednesday November 2 the new CommonsVotes app will launch, which will make available full House of Commons division results – showing how MPs have voted following debates in the Chamber – around 20 minutes after the result is announced in the Chamber. This app has been developed in-house by the Parliamentary Digital Service, in conjunction with the Public Bill Office.

CommonsVotes takes advantage of the new system for recording divisions on tablet devices introduced in early 2016 to make the full breakdown of votes available quickly in an easy to use and analyse format. Full division lists are already available online on the Hansard website but only after a delay of around 2-3 hours.

The app sorts the division results by Ayes vs Noes and – within that – by party, and users have the option of bookmarking individual MPs to view their voting record. CommonsVotes joins a suite of procedural apps built by the Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS), including HousePapers which makes available digitally papers relating to Parliamentary business in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, including the Order Paper and copies of bills.

The CommonsVotes app is available for free download in the Apple iTunes store and the Google Play store for Android.

Further information and guidance 

 To find out more, House of Commons and PDS staff will have a stall in the Atrium of Portcullis House, running on Tuesday 8 November from 10am to 4pm, where they will be happy to demonstrate how the app works.

We have been sent details of courses from Learning and Development.  This training is free for Members’ staff to attend, the only cost from your end would be travel and accommodation, and  these costs can be claimed back through IPSA.

Courses offered have been designed to develop and build skills in a range of core areas for Members’ staff.

For full details see the w4mp training page.

Do you have to be superman or Superwoman to be US President?

Now in its sixth year, the PSA Schools Video Competition is a highlight in the PSA’s calendar of activities to engage young people in the study of politics. The annual short film competition, sponsored by YouGov, is open to post-16 students who will be studying during the academic year 2016-17.

This year’s competition asks students to explore the question: “Do you have to be Superman/Superwoman to be US President?”. Groups are invited to submit short videos on this subject, examining what attributes are necessary to be a political leader and advantages and disadvantages of presidential systems.

CEO of the Political Studies Association, Helena Djurkovic, said: “The personalities and conduct seen throughout the US presidential campaigns means we are guaranteed to see some interesting entries as the race to the White House heats up.”

Shortlisted groups will be invited to The Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster to discuss the ideas raised in their video with a panel of politicians, journalists and academics.  Previous jurors have included Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Victoria Derbyshire.

The winners of the Schools’ Short Video Competition will receive their award at the PSA’s Annual Awards Ceremony in Westminster.  This year’s ceremony takes place on 29 November in London and accommodation is provided for the winning group and their teacher in central London.  On top of this, the winning students get a week’s work experience with the YouGov political team during their school holidays.

“The competition is a great way for students to develop new skills, explore their creativity and get in touch with contemporary political issues. The added training that winning teams get from YouGov – at the heart of political polling and public opinion monitoring – makes this initiative ever more worthwhile,” said Helena Djurkovic.

The deadline for submissions is 21 October 2016. Full competition details and information on how to enter are published on the PSA’s website at:  www.psa.ac.uk

Good news for those who work remotely – the Parliamentary voicemail system has always sent a ‘new voicemail’ notification by email, but now it also attaches an audio file of the message.

This means you don’t have to proactively log into the voicemail system several times a day to check the messages – they will be delivered straight to your Member’s inbox as they arrive.

There are still available places for the essential Writing Skills course offered in Scotland on 20 September for MP staff.  If you would like to attend just click on the highlighted course name below and it will take you directly to the course booking page provided that you are already logged in to the Parliamentary network. Alternatively contact the Commons Learning and Development team

Places on these courses are free for staff and travel expenses can be reclaimed via IPSA.

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has recently published the following POSTnotes:

Managing the UK Plutonium Stockpile

This POSTnote describes the state of the plutonium stockpile, current plutonium policy and the options for managing the plutonium: indefinite storage, reuse in UK power plants, conversion to fuel to send overseas and disposal as waste. It then outlines the safety, security, economic and energy policy implications of these options.

Integrating Health and Social Care

The four UK nations have committed to better integration between health and social care as one solution to these challenges. This briefing outlines what integration is, examines policies to enable it and gives examples of integration in England. It also looks at the evidence on the challenges of achieving integration and assessing the effectiveness of approaches.

Electronic cigarettes

This POSTnote updates POSTnote 455 (January 2014), summarising the latest data on scale of use, safety and quality of electronic cigarettes, and their value as a stop smoking tool. It also explores the implications of the new EU Tobacco Products Directive and regulatory approaches in the UK.

Automation and the Workforce

Automation technologies can reduce costs and raise productivity. However, there is considerable uncertainty over their potential effects on the UK workforce. This note provides an overview of how these technologies are being used; and potential implications for employment, skills, education and inequality in the coming decades.

New Drugs for Dementia

A POSTnote outlining the challenges in developing new drugs to treat dementia, and an overview of UK and international research activities to accelerate progress.