Author: W4MP Editor

House of Commons Training in the next fortnight

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This is the fortnight training information from the Commons Learning and Development Team for you to be able to find the available courses for the following two weeks. We are including some law sessions recently arranged for March.

Please click the links to book if you are available to join.

W/C 21 February

W/C 28 February

  • Supporting Distressed Caller: we are rearranging the sessions’ dates

Newly arranged short webinar Law sessions in March

Royal Mail Transition to Barcoded Stamps

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The Royal Mail has brought in a new style of postage stamp which feature a barcode. You can read about it here: https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps

Stamps which do not feature a barcode ceased to be valid on 31 July 2023 and should not be used. If they are used, the recipient will be charged a surcharge.

You can ‘swap out’ your old stamps for new ones and information on how to do this is on the above website. This applies to all ‘definitive stamps’ – the ones which feature only the Queen’s head in profile. This includes standard First and Second Class stamps, Large Letter stamps, and all specific value Definitive stamps (e.g. 1p, 2p, etc). Special Stamps with pictures on and Christmas Stamps without a barcode will continue to be valid and don’t need to be swapped out.

The pre-paid envelopes used by MPs’ offices will not be affected and can continue to be used and are not part of the swap out scheme.

Update 9 July 2024: the pre-paid envelopes bearing the head of Queen Elizabeth II are still valid, and there are currently no plans to replace them with the head of His Majesty King Charles III.

Financial Year-End Support from IPSA

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It’s that time of year when MPs’ proxies start to gather together all of the information required to finalise their accounts. There’s forms to fill in, accruals and prepayments to check and whilst it’s usually plain sailing, there’s sometimes a few furrowed brows.

Never fear, though – IPSA is on hand to help.

From 14 February 2022, IPSA will be hosting weekly webinars, drop-in sessions every Tuesday to answer queries and you can also book a call with your IPSA Account Manager for individual support. You can also call IPSA directly on 020 7811 6400 without booking, but your call will be answered by a member of the team, not necessarily your Account Manager or Payroll Officer, who will try to resolve your issue or will forward to a
member of the team.

Even if you think you know what you’re doing, it’s still worth listening to the webinars in case there’s anything you’ve missed.

You can find out more information about these events here: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/notices/year-end-support

Public inquiries and the Coronavirus pandemic – Commons Library talk

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Thursday 31 Mar 2022, 14:00 – 15:00
Online (MS Teams)

Two public inquiries have been announced, one by the UK Government and the other by the Scottish Government, into the Covid-19 pandemic response. This talk will explain how those inquiries will go about their work, what powers they will have, and what they will look at.

Event format

Online presentation by the specialist followed by time for questions.

For further information and booking, please see here.

Bank branch closures: the numbers and issues – Commons Library talk

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Thursday 24 Mar 2022, 14:00 – 15:00
Online (MS Teams)

Bank branch numbers have been falling for years, and the pandemic has only sped this up. This talk will look at those numbers, as well as the effects on people, businesses and communities. What can be done about this and what plans are there to maintain access to cash?

Event format

Online presentation by the specialists followed by time for questions.

For further information and booking, please see here.

Understanding and using statistics: the basics for dealing with numerical information – Commons Library talk

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Wednesday 16 Mar 2022, 14:00 – 15:30
Online (MS Teams)

This talk is designed to help you understand, accurately interpret and clearly present statistical information. It includes some practical tips on using and writing about statistics and introduces some important statistical concepts.

Event format

Online presentation by the specialists followed by time for questions.

For further information and booking, please see here.

Housing disrepair – Commons Library talk

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Thursday 10 Mar 2022, 14:30 – 15:30
Online (MS Teams)

This talk will give an overview of tenants’ rights and options when their landlords don’t respond to requests for repairs.

Event format

Online presentation by the specialist followed by time for questions

Presenter

  • Wendy Wilson
    Commons Library subject specialist in housing law and policy

For further information and booking, please see here.

Mental health reform proposals – Commons Library talk

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Wednesday 02 Mar 2022, 15:00 – 16:00
Online (MS Teams)

This talk will provide an overview of the process of reforming the Mental Health Act. It will focus on the main changes proposed to the legal framework and related policy.

Event format

Online presentation by the specialists followed by time for questions

For further information and booking, please see here.

National Audit Office: Transport departmental overview – Commons Library event

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Thursday 24 Feb 2022, 15:00 – 16:00
Online (MS Teams)

This talk by staff from the National Audit Office (NAO) will give an overview of Department for Transport spending in 2020-21, its major areas of activity and performance, and the challenges it’s likely to face in the coming year (based on insights from the NAO’s work).

The NAO is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. It supports Parliament in holding the UK Government to account and aims to help improve public services through its audits.

For further information and booking, please see here

National Audit Office: School funding and financial sustainability of schools in England – Commons Library event

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

Thursday 10 Feb 2022, 15:00 – 16:00
Online (MS Teams)

This talk will focus on recent National Audit Office (NAO) publications which examined whether the Department for Education is distributing funding and supporting schools in a way that improves financial sustainability.

The NAO is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. It supports Parliament in holding the UK Government to account and aims to help improve public services through its audits.

For further information and booking, please see here