News

News

New POSTnotes

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The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has published new POSTnotes, which can be found here: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/bicameral/post/

The latest topics are:

  • 602: Developments in Wind Power
  • 601: Sustaining the Soil Microbiome
  • 600: Climate Change and Agriculture
  • 599: Early Interventions to Reduce Violent Crime
  • 598: Advances in Cancer Treatment
  • 597: Climate Change & Vector-Borne Disease in Humans in the UK
  • 596: Chemical Weapons
  • 595: Reservoirs of Antimicrobial Resistance
  • 594: Limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C
  • 593: Cyber Security of Consumer Devices

Essential Training for Members and Their Staff – Please help us test it before launch

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“New essential training coming for all Members and Members’ staff which will be Mandatory each year – Please help us test it before launch”.

The new content replaces the existing need for the individual courses and instead wraps all essential training into one package.

We are looking for you to test whether this module is ‘user friendly’ ‘easy to complete’ and ‘and achievable from a time perspective’

Your feedback is really important – your assistance will mean that when we launch, you will already be compliant for the year ahead.

We are planning to test on 4-6 June and 10 June.

Contact [email protected] or call 020 7219 5144 to sign up.”

IRMS Team Wins ‘Team of the Year’

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Congratulations to the Parliamentary Archive  Information & Records Management Service which has won the UK Information and Records Management Society Team of the Year!

IRMS Tweet about awardOur

A team of 10 staff, the Information and Records Management Service (IRMS) develops, advises on and implements information management (IM) policies and practices for the end-to-end management of current business information. They also identify information with historical value and make sure it gets transferred into the safe custody of the Parliamentary Archives, where it will become the archives of the future.

Read more about them here.

Commons Library launches podcast series on key policy areas

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The House of Commons Library has launched a new podcast series, bringing MPs, their staff and the public coverage of key policy areas via interviews with impartial Library researchers.

Each episode lasts for 20 minutes or under, and aims to get to the crux of current debates or offer an overview of topics being debated in Westminster. The first series covers Universal Credit, defence equipment, the private rented sector, public spending, devolution in Northern Ireland and utility prices.

Penny Young, House of Commons Librarian, said: “Our experts have a wealth of knowledge which is invaluable to those working in Parliament and beyond, and so we’re keen to make that more accessible and try a new format to share our impartial research. We know how busy MPs and their staff are, so we hope a 20 minute podcast they can listen to while on the go will be a useful addition to our service.”

Library researchers answer around 25,000 confidential enquiries from MPs a year, and are constantly keeping up with the latest developments in their field, both in UK Parliament and further afield. Through the podcast, they pick out key information on their specialist areas to provide background, clarity on Government decisions, the views of the Opposition and future issues to keep an eye on.

It is being published on commonslibrary.parlilament.uk/podcast and downloadable from Spotify, SoundCloud and iTunes by searching Commons Library Podcast.

Media Trust’s Breaking into News initiative launches

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Media Trust’s Breaking into News initiative, run in partnership with ITV News, invites you to come up with, write and create your own news story about a local issue that you’re passionate about.

The competition was launched in 2011 with the aim of increasing diversity in UK broadcast journalism. Now in it’s eighth year, the programme has grown and many previous finalists and winners are now working in newsrooms up and down the country.

How to enter
Simply submit an application form on the Breaking into News website, the form includes a 200 word written pitch and we also recommend you submit a 60-second video talking about your pitch. Your application will still be considered if you do not submit a video.

How it works
Ten finalists, one from each ITV News region, will be selected and paired with an ITV News mentor. Over the course of six weeks, the finalists are mentored on all aspects of broadcast journalism including writing, reporting, production and the inner workings of a newsroom.

By the end of the mentoring phase, finalists will have researched and produced a broadcast quality bulletin, which may even be aired across the local ITV news region.

Who should enter?
The competition is open to everyone over the age of 18. No previous media or broadcast journalism experience is needed to enter, just a keen interest in journalism.

Locations
Breaking into News takes place in ten ITV regions across England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

ITV Anglia
ITV Calendar
ITV Central
ITV Granada
ITV London
ITV Meridian
ITV Tyne Tees & Border
ITV Wales
ITV West Country
UTV

The Prize
To make this competition even more exciting, finalists will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges from across the world of journalism. Our winner will receive the top prize: £400 worth of journalistic equipment. The overall winner will be revealed in Summer 2019 at a special award ceremony in London.

Will my news report be broadcast?
All ten of the finalist’s news bulletins will be considered for broadcast on regional ITV news and online.

See www.breakingintonews.co.uk

TODAY: Ask the Expert – Anti-Social Behaviour

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Douglas Pyper, a Library specialist, will be running an Ask the Expert session – Anti-Social Behaviour, with follow up questions from recent training and any other questions, today between 2pm and 4pm on the Help Hub Community (the new caseworker forum).   Doug will answer questions live but you can also post your questions in advance and view responses at any time afterwards.

If you haven’t yet logged on to the Help Hub Community and you can’t find your email invitation please get in contact and we will resend it.  Please don’t forward the link to anyone else as it will only work for you, if anyone else wants to join they can get in touch and we will send them a link.

When you click on the link you will need to login in to Office 365 with your parliamentary email and password.

Listen to the new House of Commons Library Podcast

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Bringing you the latest in Westminster and beyond.

Each week the House of Commons Library will tackle a new topic in 20 minutes, helping you stay up to date. The schedule for future episodes is as follows:

Please listen, and subscribe via the site if you’d like to have future episodes delivered straight to your inbox.

Find the podcast here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/category/podcast/

Happy listening!
House of Commons Library

POST Training for Academic Researchers

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POST – the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology – is presenting regional training sessions for researchers to learn how the UK Parliament works and ways to engage with Parliament using research, with a particular focus on framing and communicating your research in a policy context.

What does the training cover?
This training gives an overview of the UK Parliament and covers ways to work with the institution including details on Select Committees, legislative scrutiny, the House of Commons and House of Lords libraries, and POST. It also includes sessions on identifying how your research relates to policy, and communicating your research at Parliament.

How is the training delivered?
Sessions are delivered by officials from POST and Select Committees. The training is interactive and practical. You will leave with an action plan, plenty of resources and the chance to join our alumni network to receive further opportunities and support from Parliament. Refreshments and lunch are included.

Who should attend?
This event is aimed at academic researchers as well as those working in policy brokerage/research impact roles.

What will I learn?
As a result of the training you will:

  • understand Parliament’s role and processes and the difference between Parliament and Government
  • know how research is used in the UK Parliament
  • be able to identify opportunities to feed your research into Parliament’s work
  • know how your research could be relevant to Parliament’s work, and how to frame it in this context
  • learn tips and advice on communicating your research at Parliament including style and tone
  • be aware of where to go for further support

What does it cost?
There is an attendance fee of £40, including VAT. If this fee is a barrier to your attendance, please contact us; we may make exceptions in some circumstances.

More information can be found at www.parliament.uk/academic-training

New online resource – Armed Conflict Database

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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/

New online resource provided by the House of Commons Library  

The Armed Conflict Database provides in-depth data, timelines and reports on conflicts worldwide. 

The ACD enables the user to assess the effects of armed conflict on a region or a country. Users can view historic trends and patterns in conflicts and read regular reports on new conflict trends. 

The database holds annual figures for global conflict trends, as well as multi-year statistics on fatalities, refugees and IDPs.