Cross-Party Support for Conspiracy Theory Guide aimed at MPs, Peers and Candidates Launched Today

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We’ve received a press release from the Antisemitism Policy Trust about their guide on conspiracy theories.

You can read the guide on their website. It has been written with expert groups including the Antisemitism Policy Trust, Full Fact, Tell MAMA [The charity working to combat anti-Muslim hate], the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and The Global Network on Extremism & Technology.

https://antisemitism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Conspiracy-Theory-Guide.pdf

Press Release

Leading figures in parliament today united to launch A Guide for Members of Parliament and Candidates on Conspiracy Theories. Commissioned by the Leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, and launched by both Ms Mordaunt and Shadow Leader of the House, Lucy Powell MP, the guide was drawn together by expert groups including the Antisemitism Policy Trust, Full Fact, Tell MAMA [The charity working to combat anti-Muslim hate], the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and The Global Network on Extremism & Technology.

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Dissolution Guidance – South West briefing for Members’ offices

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Members’ offices are offered an opportunity to join an in-person briefing in Bristol with representatives of relevant services from across the House Administration and IPSA to find out more about the Dissolution Guidance and ask any questions they may have. 

To register to attend, please email [email protected]

Paper Trail: new weekly Vote Office bulletin

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The Vote Office’s Publications Enquiries Team has launched a new weekly bulletin summarising all reports and papers published and available in the Vote Office.

Paper Trail features links to the week’s bills, government papers, select committee and NAO reports.

Paper Trail is available on ParliNET as well as in hard copy from the Vote Office outlets in Portcullis House and the Palace.

You can find Paper Trail here: ParliNet | Paper Trail (parliament.uk)

Copyright Infringement

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If your office receives a ‘copyright infringement notice’, please inform Tara Cullen in the Members’ and Members’ Staff Services Team immediately, and do not respond to the notice until you have discussed it with her.

MMSST is aware that there are also some scams going around at the moment, and it’s important to get them checked out. No genuine organisation will ask for payment in cryptocurrency. All scams and phishing attempts should be reported to PDS.

It’s very easy to find pictures on the Internet and copy them to use on your own website. However, in doing so, you could easily be infringing copyright, and the owner might seek compensation.

Paul Clarke has written a useful guide especially for w4mp on publishing pictures and avoiding rights issues, which you can find here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/support-in-your-job/publishing-pictures-and-avoiding-rights-issues/

Behind the Scenes with the Official Report

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During the Easter recess, the Official Report (Hansard) is offering Members’ staff an opportunity to learn how parliamentary proceedings are edited in the Official Report

Spend an hour and a half with us and find out:

  • How Hansard reporters and editors publish MPs’ speeches
  • Which debates are read the most by constituents and how to share parliamentary contributions online
  • Who to contact with queries about the Official Report and where to read speeches before publication

We finish with a tour of the Hansard offices and the Press Gallery.

We will be holding sessions on the parliamentary estate during the Easter recess on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 April.

We welcome all Members’ staff and any questions they may have!

For more information, to book a place or to join our mailing list for future sessions, please reply to this email or contact [email protected]

Financial Year End – 2023-2024

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It’s that time of year, when IPSA Proxies lock themselves in their offices, set their phones to ‘do not disturb’ and bury their heads in spreadsheets. Yes, it’s year end! But don’t worry, IPSA has made things much simpler and, assuming you’ve been reasonably well-organised, sorting out your year-end documentation shouldn’t be too stressful.

Don’t put it off until the last minute, do it now, then if you have any queries, you have time to sort them out.

Key dates:

  • You must submit your year-end form by 23:59 on Friday 19 April 2024.
  • You must have all your payment card lines reconciled by 23:59 on 26 April 2024.
  • You must submit all the evidence for the reimbursement claims listed on your year-end form by 23:59 on Friday 10 May 2024.

You no longer need to submit a year-end for payroll.

It’s a good idea to log into the website regularly to check that there are no tasks outstanding in your task manager.

You can find all of IPSA’s year-end guidance here: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/year-end-2023-24 and the staff are really helpful and patient, so give them a call if you’re stuck or unsure about anything.

Already submitted everything? Great! Go and get a brew, then sit down and prepare your paperwork for 2024-2025. Why not make a list of your regular outgoings and work out a forecast, which you can update as you go along throughout the year? You could set up a simple spreadsheet to do this, and then you will always know the current state of your budget and can adjust your spending accordingly.