IPSA Budgets for 2022-2023

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IPSA has confirmed the budgets for MPs’ offices for 2022-2023 and you can read the bulletin here: https://assets.ctfassets.net/s90k6prbkeee/3Qh3dqtF4hBC3WpZ2ADrMi/65f374248b72727a3154424b2a77f5e3/Bulletin__2_March_2022.pdf

and the finer details here: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/reports-and-budgeting#summary-of-2022-23-budgets

You can find an updated monthly and yearly salary calculator here: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/reports-and-budgeting#document-downloads

Research Fellowships with Good Things Foundation

Good Things Foundation home page
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Good Things Foundation and Nominet have announced a new research scheme to help end data poverty and reduce the cost of living. The three research fellowships – part of the pioneering Data Poverty Lab – will each provide £12,000 funding to enable people to explore interventions with the aim of designing effective solutions to tackle data poverty.

With recent Ofcom figures showing 84% of benefits recipients unaware that they already qualify for cheaper broadband deals, the scheme is designed to both amplify existing interventions and highlight new ideas.

The Fellowships will explore three key themes which emerged from the Data Poverty Lab’s initial research:

  1. What community-led solutions to data poverty are emerging, and how could these be scaled regionally or nationally?
  2. How do we talk about data and data poverty? 
  3. Should internet access be viewed as an essential utility, a human right, or something else?

Individuals interested in applying for a Data Poverty Lab Fellowship should visit www.goodthingsfoundation.org/data-poverty-lab/fellowship/ or contact our Policy and Research Officer, Tom McGrath, by emailing [email protected]. Applications are open from 23 February to 20 March 2022.

The State Apartments of Speaker’s House tour

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You can now book a one-hour, fully-accessible tour of the State Apartments of the Speaker’s House, which includes the Grand Staircase, the Crimson Drawing Room, the State Dining Room, and the State Bedroom. The tour starts and finishes in Westminster Hall which you are welcome to explore afterwards.

See here for full details and booking: https://ukparliament.seetickets.com/timeslot/the-state-apartments-of-speaker-s-house-tour

Mindfulness Course for Members

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New six-week online mindfulness course for Members starts next Wednesday 23 February, 8.30-9.30am.

Sessions will take place every Wednesday 8.30-9.30am for six weeks (from Wednesday 23 February to Wednesday 30 March).

The course will be delivered by Awaris, leading mindfulness training provider and sessions will take place online via Zoom.

To book your place email Lydia Smith on [email protected]

Best Practice Guide to Grievances

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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/

The House of Commons Members’ HR Service has produced a Best Practice Guide to Grievances.

This best practice guide aims to enable Members and their HR proxies to respond to and investigate grievances fairly, consistently and effectively.

You can find the guide here

This is one of a series of guides, and you can find the other guides here

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