Time: 14:00 – 18:00 Date: 2 June 2025 Location: PCH Open to: All Members and their staff, Peers, and all parliamentary staff. Registration required before 26 May 2025 – see below
Join our expert panel event to explore the role that politicians and key parliamentary personnel play in sustaining the unwritten dimension of constitutionalism. The event – hosted by the House of Commons’ Parliament, Public Administration and Constitution Hub and in collaboration with legal academics at UCL, Durham University and the University of Ottawa – will explore the content, functions and interactions of different types of unwritten rules and the ways in which parliamentarians channel unwritten rules in the day-to-day work of government.
Good Information Toolkit Talk from the House of Commons Library
How does health literacy impact constituents and the NHS? Join us for an essential session focused on improving health literacy, where we will ask:
What is health literacy?
Understand the fundamentals and why it’s important for effective communication in our communities. Why does it matter to the NHS and your constituents?
Discover how improved health literacy can lead to better patient outcomes, reduce health inequalities, and help you support your constituents.
How can we empower constituents to understand information about their health
Explore how we can improve understanding in written and verbal information. We’ll also step into the shoes of patients who don’t understand what they’re being told about their health, and think about how we can communicate with empathy.
If you’re working in a constituency, this session can help you engage with communities about their health and support informed decision-making.
Time: 14:30 – 15:30 Date: 8 May 2025 Location: Online via MS Teams
The Casework Discussion Forum takes place each month via MS Teams.
The topic for May’s forum meeting will be a Local transport Q&A (UK wide). We’ll be joined by Roger Tyers and Mike Benson from the Library’s Business and Transport team, and Iona Stewart from the Library’s Social and General Statistics team.
The forum is complemented by a dedicated Teams chat which enables you to share ideas and best practice, with support being on hand from the Library should specialist knowledge be required.
You do not have to be a caseworker to attend these sessions – they are open to any Members’ staff who handle casework.
A free seminar from the Pensions Policy Institute, kindly sponsored by Phoenix Group.
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 Date: Tuesday 13 May 2025 Location: Central Hall Westminster, Dinsdale Young Room, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH
Pensions are important, but can be very confusing.
We can help with this
The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) would like to invite you to join us for an introduction to the UK Pensions System. This seminar, which is free to attend and kindly sponsored by Phoenix Group, is open exclusively to all staff working within Parliament who have an interest in pension policy.
There is no getting away from it, the current UK Pensions system can be confusing. This seminar, delivered by the PPI’s Senior Leadership Team, will provide a high-level overview of the current system, and the issues faced by industry, policymakers, and those saving for and in receipt of income in retirement.
Specific topics which will be covered include:
The State Pension – historical background and where we are today
Automatic enrolment – historical background and where we are today
Adequacy
Retirement income – comparisons with the rest of the world
Private pensions – what is available, where we are today with CDC, industry challenges and the changing landscape
The Gender Pensions Gap – differences and explanations
Investment – Mansion House, Illiquids, ESG
New developments – Dashboards, Small Pots, and Lost Pensions
Why choose this seminar? Our Independence sets us apart: The PPI focuses on the facts. The Knowledge Sharing Seminars will be delivered from the PPI’s independent perspective and will provide you with the facts on the UK Pensions System.
We hope you can join us, and we look forward to unravelling the world of pensions for you!
Please feel free to forward this invite to colleagues within Parliament who may be interested in attending this free seminar.
The Pensions Policy Institute: is an educational research institute. Our aim is to improve information and understanding about pensions policy and retirement income provision through research and analysis, discussion, and publication.
Phoenix Group: You may be aware of Phoenix’s customer brand, Standard Life, who together with their other brands make Phoenix one of the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business.
People who move to the UK can often make it their permanent home after a while by applying for indefinite leave to remain and then British citizenship. We’ll discuss how this works, how long it normally takes and recent announcements in this area from both the Labour government and Conservative opposition.
The Bank of England would like to invite the staff of MPs based in Scotland to attend a briefing session on the work of the Bank on Tuesday 27 May from 11.00-13.00 at a venue in the centre of Glasgow.
Senior Bank staff will deliver a briefing on how the work of the Bank of England affects constituents, with an introduction to our work in Scotland from our Scottish Agency. With an interest rate decision on 8 May, this will be an ideal opportunity to learn more about the work of the Bank and ask your constituents’ questions.
If you would like to attend, please email [email protected] to book a place in person.
We would be grateful if you could share this with any colleagues based in constituency offices in Glasgow and the surrounding area who may be interested in attending.
Please note this session is for staffers only. However, we hold regular briefing sessions for MPs to keep them up to date on the Bank’s policymaking. The next session for MPs will be held in the Bank of England’s London office on 24 April and Members are welcome to get in touch to learn more.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Bank of England. You can learn more about our Agent for Scotland here.
Parliament is proud to support Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), running from Monday 12th – Sunday 18th May 2025.This year’s theme, set by the Mental Health Foundation, is “Community” and the campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness and support good mental health for all.
As part of a wider programme of events taking place throughout MHAW, the Members and Members’ staff Services Team (MMSST)invites all Members’ staff to join us for two events: an in-person networking event on Tuesday 13 May, drop in between 2 – 4 pm in the Jubilee Room, Palace of Westminster. Light refreshments will be provided.
And a virtual Teams event Thursday 15 May, drop in between 1-2 pm. Bring your own tea/coffee and biscuits or a cheeky slice of cake.
These events are an opportunity for you to connect with fellow Members’ staff and meet colleagues from the services that are here to support you.
Parliament is proud to support Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), running from 12 – 18 May 2025. MHAW is an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health and share ways to support good mental health for all. This year, the theme for MHAW set by the Mental Health Foundation is Community.
There is something for everyone this Mental Health Awareness Week, with events and resources open to Members and Members’ staff taking place throughout the week. Join us to celebrate the power and importance of community in supporting mental health this MHAW.
What’s On
Attend a special programme of talks, training workshops and networking sessions
Visit the MHAW stall in Portcullis House on 13 May
Networking events for Members’ staff in-person (13 May) and online (15 May)
Explore a collection of on-demand resources including pre-recorded webinars, interactive notice boards, and information about health and wellbeing services available to you.
The programme of events and training courses taking place throughout Mental Health Awareness Week is available to book here on ACT.
The Run for Jo is part of the Great Get Together weekend and is all about bringing people together, there will be food, music, stalls and lots of fun! It is all about bringing people together and that means community, friends and family. Children are welcome on both the distances and the 2.5km fun run is ideal for all the family- even the dog can take part!
This year it is on the 22 June, which would have been Jo’s 51st birthday. The run itself is at Oakwell Hall, Birstall, however you can also sign up to do a virtual 10k challenge if Yorkshire is too far to travel.
Those of us who did it last year found it was a great way to get motivated to start running and get fit and active – it was an amazing community event and a brilliant way to celebrate Jo’s legacy. We are trying to make this year bigger and better than ever – so if you want to get involved in any way, please drop me a message 😊 or sign up here:
