The government has asked all two-tier local government areas in England to produce unitary reorganisation plans. This talk will assess the initial proposals and indications of the Government’s thinking.
Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: Thursday 12 June 2025
Location: Online via Teams
Registration: On Act
Welcome to Parliament.
The new joiner induction sessions are available to book via the ACT portal. If you have a new joiner in your office, please share with them.
This session will welcome you to being part of the Parliamentary community and cover essential information from key House services that will help you to settle in and get off to a good start in your new role.
If you have not yet obtained your parliamentary network access and would like to book, please contact MMSST@parliament.uk
Time: 10:00 – 12:00
Date: 12 June 2025
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1341
House of Commons Library Talk
Session outline
The government is expected to set out its defence and foreign policy priorities before the NATO summit. This talk will highlight the key points and lookahead to the main topics of discussion for NATO at its summit on 24-26 June.
Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 19 June 2025
Location: Online
Registration: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?f=3479
Presented by the National Audit Office and the House of Commons Library.
Time: 10:30-11:30
Date: Thursday 5 June 2025
Location: Online via Teams
Over one in four women are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted assault in their lifetime, and one in 12 women are victims of VAWG each year, although the actual number is likely to be much higher. The National Police Chiefs’ Council reported that, in 2022-23, 20% of all police-recorded crime was related to violence against women and girls. Violence against women and girls can have long-term impacts on victims, affecting them physically, mentally, socially and financially. The new government has committed to halve the prevalence of VAWG within a decade as part of its ‘mission’ to make streets safer. The Home Office will lead this mission and is developing a new VAWG strategy.
In this report, the NAO has examined the Home Office’s leadership of the 2021 “Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls” Strategy (the VAWG Strategy) and the 2022 “Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan” (the Domestic Abuse Plan), to identify lessons to support the delivery of the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls. This report looks at how successful the Home Office has been in leading an effective cross-government response to the issue in order to achieve this aim.
To register, please visit this page on the intranet: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=7608
Time: 14:30-15:30
Date: 4 June 2025
Location: Teams
With Donal Galligan (Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Association) and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) staff, as well as Library specialists covering different ombudsman schemes
Also: Digital Services staff will give a quick update on the Register of Interests for Members Staff service
To register, please visit https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1953
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is hosting free thirty-minute webinars on bystander training. Here’s what they say:
“There has been unprecedented demand for bystander training from both the business world and the general public after the tragic case of Sarah Everard. People and organisations want to take steps to address the prevalence of unwanted and aggressive behaviours such as harassment that underly the broader cycle of violence against women and girls, which the Trust has worked on since its inception over three decades ago. This partnership will allow the Trust to fulfil its objective of standing against harassment alongside the wider public.”
https://www.suzylamplugh.org/Event/stand-up-against-harassment-bystander-training-22nd-may-2025-1200-1230
For dates and registration, please see the website here: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/Pages/Events/Category/events
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?
If you’re working in a constituency, this session can help you engage with communities about their health and support informed decision-making.
Time: 14:00
Date: 20 May 2025
Location: Online
Further information and registration: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=7476
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
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:
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.
House of Commons Library Talk
Session outline
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.
Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 8 May 2025
Location: Online
Registration: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?f=3477