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Members Staff Induction

Welcome to Parliament. The new joiner induction sessions are now available to book via the ACT portal if you have a new joiner in your office, please share with them. Time: 10:00 – 11:30Date: Monday 5 June 2023Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=3240 Time: 10:00 – 11:30Date: Tuesday 4 July 2023Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking:…

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Caseworker Discussion Q&A – Child Maintenance Service

Time: 14:30 – 15:30Date: Wednesday 24 May 2023Location: Online via MS Teams With Niamh Foley and David Foster from the Library’s Social Policy Section Please book via ACT: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=5177

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Wellness Working Group – Clarke Carlisle (ex-England Footballer & Pundit)

Time: 10:00 – 11:00Date: Tuesday 9 May 2023Location: Online via Teams Clarke Carlisle will join the Wellness Working Group to talk about mental health and his journey. Not only is Clarke a pundit on shows such as Match of the Day, Sky Sport and ITV Sport, he has appeared on Question Time and presented documentaries…

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Apple webinar

On Thursday 18 May from 9:30-10:30am, Apple are running a webinar for Parliament to demo how you can use the built-in features to set up your device preferences. Here you can learn some incredible accessibility features to help customer your iOS device, such as your iPhone or iPad. This session will cover features on the below areas: There…

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Vote Office Open Days

The Vote Office is running Open Days on Thursday 4th May and Friday 5th May.   Visit the Main Vote Office where one of our team members will welcome you and help you with: There is no need to register in advance. Come and meet us in the Vote Office between 8am-3pm. 

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Webinar: Setting up Multi-Factor Authentication

The PDS Local Engagement Team will be holding a 30 minute briefing on the importance of setting up Multi Factor Authentication on your personal accounts.   This is open to all Members and their staff.  It will be held on Thursday 27th April at 13:00 To book a place, please email localengagement@parliament.uk

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Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Drop-in

Time: 10:00- 16:00Date: Wednesday 19 April 2023Location: MacMillan Room, PCH William Wragg MP, Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee would like to invite you to attend this event. For joining instructions, please contact publicaffairs@ombudsman.org

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Suffragette – film screening

Time: 18:00 – 21:00Date: Tuesday 25 April 2023Location: Parliament Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network’Suffragette’ film screening and panel discussion (Staff, MPs and Peers) There are a few spaces remaining for this cross-party event in Parliament. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion which will include Helen Pankhurst. If you’d like to attend, please…

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Today! Coffee morning with MST

Time: 09:30 – 11:30Date: Monday 17 April 2023Location: Attlee Suite, Portcullis HouseRegistration: Please email MST@parliament.uk Following the success of the coffee morning in  February, the Members Services Team is hosting another drop-in coffee morning for Members’ staff.  This session will be an opportunity to meet the team and to network with fellow Members’ staff and to…

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Employer’s Liability Insurance

The new Certificate of Employer’s Liability Insurance, which should be displayed in all MPs’ offices, is now available to download from the intranet here: https://intranet.parliament.uk/finances/insurance/mps-insurance/employers-and-public-liability/

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ParliGender Event: Menopause Awareness in the Workplace with Caroline Nokes MP

Time: 12:30 – 13:30Date: Tuesday 18 April 2023Location: Online via Teams Caroline Nokes is a Member of Parliament (Romsey and Southampton North) and is the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee which has recently published a report on menopause and the workplace. The report noted that too many people experiencing menopause have struggled with societal…

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Conversation on Ramadan, Easter and Passover

Early in April, Passover, Easter and Ramadan will coincide. To celebrate this, ParliREACH is holding a virtual event on Thursday 30 March from 12pm to 1pm with Muslim, Christian and Jewish colleagues willing to share their personal experience of these religious festivals. Please see this post on the intranet for further information https://intranet.parliament.uk/business-news/news-current-issues/news/2023/march/conversation-on-ramadan-easter-and-passover-/

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Parliament Choir in Rome

Time: 21:00Date: Saturday 29 April 2023Location: Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls The Parliament Choir and Southbank Sinfonia present Edward Elgar’s oratorio ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ Join the Parliament Choir for this amazing concert in the Papal Basilica of St Pauls outside the Walls in Rome on Saturday 29 April. Tickets are free but…

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Parliament Choir Concert in London

Edward Elgar’s oratorio ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ Time: 6:30pmDate: Saturday 22 April 2022Location: St. John’s Smith Square, Westminster, SW1Tickets: click here The Parliament Choir and Southbank Sinfonia present Edward Elgar’s oratorio ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ The Parliament Choir welcomes as a member anyone who works at the UK Parliament – Members, their staff, and parliamentary…

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Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme

The Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme is a 12-month internship (beginning late September / early October 2023) run in partnership with the Patchwork Foundation and Parliament. Interns will work across rotations in Parliament, including working on a House of Commons team, working with an MP in government and working with an MP in opposition. They are…

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The Great Parliamentary Get Together

All MPs, Peers and staff welcome Time: 13:00 – 15:00Date: Wednesday 21 June 2023Location: Jubilee Room, Westminster Hall

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Caseworker Discussion Forum – Asylum & Immigration Q&A

Time: 14:30Date: Thursday 23 March 2023Location: Online via MS Teams The Library, in conjunction with the Members’ Services Team, is pleased to invite you to the Casework Discussion Forum which will take place virtually each month. With CJ McKinney and Melanie Gower from the Library’s Home Affairs Section. The forum will be complemented by a…

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The price of postage stamps will rise on 3 April 2023

The prices of Royal Mail postage stamps will rise on 3 April 2023 A first-class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 95p to £1.10 A second-class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 68p to 75p The new Guide to Prices can be found here: https://www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2023-03/royal-mail-our-prices-april-2023-ta.pdf

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New Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules

The Code of Conduct describes the responsibilities that MPs have as Members of the House and are based on a set of principles.  The new Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules relating to the conduct ofMembers took effect from 1 March 2023. You can see a copy of the letter from the Parliamentary Commissioner for…

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General Election planning at Parliament: What does it take?

Time: 12:00 – 13:00Date: Thursday 16 March 2023Location: Online via Teams Ahead of the next general election planning is under way, including to support new and departing MPs. Come along to this online event you will hear more about what it takes and can ask questions to some of the key people involved. For further…

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Introduction to PolicyMogul – webinar

Webinar for parliamentary teams Date: Wednesday, 8 March 2023Time: 2.00pm – 2.45pmVenue: Online This online webinar is your chance to learn about the value that PolicyMogul provides for parliamentarians and their staff. As well as an overview of the platform’s features, we will highlight some best practices related to getting the most out of the…

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Financial Wellbeing – a talk by the Money and Pension service (MaPS)

Financial Wellbeing: a talk by Victoria Copeland, Regional Partnerships Manager, Money and Pension service (MaPS) Time: 14:30 – 15:30Date: Thursday 16 March 2023Location: Online via Teams The Money and Pension Service is working to improve financial outcomes for everyone living and working in the UK. Through our MoneyHelper service we offer free impartial information guidance…

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All MPs’ Staff Q&A Session: Home Office Update

Time: 14:00 – 15:00Date: Tuesday 7 March 2023Location: Online The MST is pleased to be joined by Katie Shooter from the Home Office who will provide an update. This will be a question and answer session and we would request that you submit questions in advance by emailing MST@parliament.uk. Time permitting, we will open the…

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Improving accessibility on ParliamentLive.tv

Live subtitles, closed captions and British Sign Language. When watching parliamentlive.tv, you can now view live subtitles or closed captions for both the Commons and Lords Chambers. Users can select subtitles or closed captions on the parliamentlive.tv video player by clicking on the ‘subtitles’ button. The subtitles will also be embedded in the broadcasting feed…

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Health Kiosk in Richmond House

A Health Kiosk has been installed in the ground floor Richmond House Community Hub. It’s available to use 24/7, at a time that is most convenient to you and is available for all passholders to use. What is it? Have a look at this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhNgBqBGBTU For further information on the Health Kiosk, please…

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Make the Most of the Commons Library

Join the Library Team for a short session to learn how the Library can support your work. These sessions are ideal for those who have recently started working for a Member or if you simply want a refresher in how to use Library resources. The resources they cover will help you in your policy, research…

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Useful new guides from the Commons Library

The House of Commons Library website contains a wealth of information which is of use not only to Members of Parliament and their staff, but are also accessible by members of the public. The latest guides to be published are: You can find more constituency casework guides here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-casework/

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Plan your accommodation ahead for the Coronation of HM King Charles III & Key Dates for 2023

The Parliamentary Travel Office is preparing for the key global events throughout Spring and Summer, which will impact hotel rates and limit availability: Hotel accommodation will be highly sought after for several nights prior to, and after these events and is likely to be in short supply. If your MP is planning to attend the…

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Casework Discussion Forum – Welfare benefits Q&A

Time: 14:30 – 15:30Date: Wednesday 22 February 2023Location: Online The Library, in conjunction with the Members’ Services Team, is pleased to invite you to the Casework Discussion Forum which will take place virtually each month. Welfare benefits Q&AWith Steven Kennedy, Frank Hobson and Andrew Mackley from the Library’s Social Policy Section. Booking required: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=5177

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Briefing note for Members’ Office Managers from the Cybersecurity Team 8/2/23

Please note that you will need to have a Parliamentary Network Account in order to access some of the links on this page. Last week the Speakers of both houses sent notices to members regarding spear-phishing attempts. You may have seen in the news today that MP Stewart McDonald has been subject to a cyber…

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Vote Office: Training for Members’ Staff

Members’ staff are invited to learn more about the Vote Office and the services it offers to support their work. Introduction to the Vote Office Time: 11:30 – 12:15Date: Monday 30 January 2023Location: Virtual, MS TeamsBooking: contact x3631, vote_office@parliament.uk This virtual session will provide an introduction of how the Vote Office helps Members’ offices to navigate…

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NEW HMRC GUIDES FOR MPS AND STAFF

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have updated their very helpful booklets, explaining how they can help you to help your constituents. The two booklets are: If you would like a copy of the updated versions, please email us letting us know which version(s) you require*. * Please note that we are able to send these documents only…

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Publishing Pictures and Avoiding Rights Issues

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…

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Financial Year-End Guidance

It’s that time of year again, when Office Managers/Proxies start their financial year-end process. If this is your first time doing the year-end submission, don’t panic – it’s really not as scary as it sounds. The staff at IPSA are really helpful and will guide you through it, and they’ve published some useful information here:…

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Casework Discussion Forum – Wellbeing – looking after yourself and others

Time: 10:30 – 11:30Date: Thursday 26 January 2023Location: Online The Library, in conjunction with the Members’ Services Team, is pleased to invite you to the Casework Discussion Forum which will take place virtually each month. Wellbeing – looking after yourself and othersLed by the Member Services Team. Booking required: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=5177

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Members’ Staff Induction

The Members’ Services Team (MST) invites all new Members’ Staff to join us for a 90-minute online Welcome to Parliament induction session on Tuesday 7 February 2023 from 10:00 to 11:30, 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…

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Parliament’s People Awards

Parliament’s People Awards recognise the inspirational teams and individuals who have impressed and shown dedication and commitment to supporting a thriving parliamentary democracy. All MPs and Peers, their staff, in parliamentary or constituency offices, or those employed by the House of Commons, House of Lords or the Parliamentary Digital Service can nominate a colleague. Nominations…

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Domestic Abuse Awareness

All MP’s Staff Q&A Session Time: 10:00 – 11:00Date: Thursday 2 February 2023Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=5505 We are delighted to welcome Natasha Saunders who will be joining us for our February All Staff Q&A Session. Natasha is a law changer, conversation starter and motivational speaker but it hasn’t always been that way. After…

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Internet access in Parliament – 16 January

The earlier issue with Internet access in Parliament has now been resolved. Please reboot your machine. If you are still having difficulties after rebooting your machine, please contact PDS.

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Forthcoming Library Talks

The programme of Library talks for January to March 2023 is open for booking – the titles will take you to Act, if you wish to book a place. Please note that you must have a Parliamentary Network account in order to access the links. Title Date Starts Ends The world in 2023: looking ahead…

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Members’ Staff Induction

The Members’ Services Team (MST) invites all new Members’ Staff to join us for a 90-minute online Welcome to Parliament induction session on Thursday 12 January 2023 from 10:00 to 11:30, 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…

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Helping tenants with damp and mouldy housing (England)

The House of Commons Library has produced a new guide for MPs and their staff to help them to assist their constituents: ‘A short guide to tenants’ rights when living in damp and mouldy homes and Government action to address this issue.’ You can find the new House of Commons Library guide here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/helping-tenants-with-damp-and-mouldy-housing-england/

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Constituency casework: help with energy bills for businesses, voluntary sector and public sector organisations

The House of Commons Library has produced a briefing on help with energy bills for businesses, voluntary sector and public sector organisations. This briefing provides information on support with energy bills for non-domestic customers, including businesses, public sector organisations and charities. It covers help with rising energy prices, and support to install energy-saving measures and…

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Grantfinder Demonstration – 13 December 2022

Grantfinder gives access to a flexibly searchable and continuously updated database of UK and European Union (EU) funding sources, including grants, loans and advisory schemes. It enables you to set up alerts for new sources of funding in the areas most relevant.  This hour-long session is for those who need a full introduction to what Grantfinder…

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Casework Discussion Forum – Continuing Healthcare Q&A

Time: 14:00 – 15:00Date: Wednesday 14 December 2022Location: Online The Library, in conjunction with the Members’ Services Team, is pleased to invite you to the Casework Discussion Forum which will take place virtually each month. Continuing healthcare Q&AChaired by Wendy Wilson from the Library with Tom Powell, the Library’s subject specialist on health. Booking required:…

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Caseworker Q&A Sessions with EDF Energy

In the New Year, EDF will be partnering with Energy UK – the UK Trade Association for the Energy Industry, to provide Q&A sessions with MP Caseworkers to give you an update on how they are helping customers through the winter. You will also have the opportunity to ask EDF and the industry body questions…

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Migrant Help

Migrant Help exists to protect people affected by displacement and exploitation, helping them thrive as individuals and recover from their trauma. They support those most in need and least likely to find support elsewhere, whilst aiming to bridge community gaps and bring services and support together. You can read more about Migrant Help here: https://www.migranthelpuk.org/…

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Rural Payments Agency

The Rural Payments Agency has sent us an updated version of their MP Welcome Pack. If you would like a copy, please see the hotlines list. https://intranet.parliament.uk/Documents/research-online-resources/research/constituency-casework/w4mp-hotlines.pdf

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Have you checked out our events page?

Our events page lists training, talks and other events which may be of interest to Members’ staff. Please have a look here to see what’s on: https://w4mp.org/jobs-listings-events/events/

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Constituency casework: Government support for energy bills

The House of Commons Library has produced a briefing providing a guide to reliable sources of information to help answer common questions on new government support for energy bills introduced in 2022. You can access the briefing here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9685/

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