Parliament has published the report by Gemma White QC into Bullying and Harassment of MPs’ Parliamentary Staff

You can read  it here: Gemma White QC’s report.

The House of Commons Commission has published a response in which it states:

We condemn bullying and harassment of MPs’ staff and offer our full support to anyone in the parliamentary community who has suffered in this way.

The Commission does not employ the staff of MPs as they are employed by MPs themselves or via political parties.

However, the Commission takes very seriously its responsibility to ensure that Parliament is a modern workplace.

Imperial College London’s Professor Nick Jennings invites you to a special event to launch The Forum, Imperial’s new policy engagement programme. The Forum brings Imperial’s community and policy-makers together to discuss, debate and discover new thinking on policy challenges.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, will speak about the importance of academia and government working together to solve policy challenges across a range of issues. Sir Patrick will then be joined by Professor Nick Jennings for an audience Q&A.

This will be followed by a networking reception with guests from Westminster, government departments and industry. Drinks and canapés will be served.

The event will take place from 5-7pm on Wednesday 10 July at Imperial College London’s South Kensington campus. For more information and to sign up, please click here.

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

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

Our

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.

Please note that the DWP is no longer able to obtain information on waiting times for appeals.

MPs and their staff should contact HM Courts & Tribunals Service directly, using the details in the Hotlines list.

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, 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