The Information Compliance Team has updated its guidance on Subject Access Requests for MPs’ offices and you can find it here: https://intranet.parliament.uk/information-management/data-protection-security/data-protection/gdpr-for-commons-members/subject-access-requests/ You could also have a look at our page on Data Protection here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/your-office/data-protection/

It’s 250 years since the first ‘official’ catering venue opened in the House of Commons and to celebrate this and the work of the catering teams in making Parliament happen, they’re celebrating the culinary creativity of the parliamentary community and inviting you to design a pie for Parliament! The winner will have their pie on…

The Wellness Working Group (WWG) will be publishing a monthly blog, written by Committee Member, Lisa Young, who not only works for an MP but is a trained counsellor. They hope that by publishing this blog, you might find some comfort as well as practical tips to help you through a difficult situation. You can…

The Members’ Services Team, along with Teams across the House of Commons, provides a wide range of training, learning and development activities that have been developed to support Members’ staff in their different roles and responsibilities. To see the dates of courses coming up soon, view the Monthly Training Bulletin. You can also find all the…

If you would like to order a wreath for Armistice Day or Remembrance Sunday, you can do so by contacting the Royal British Legion directly: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/shop/wreaths They are able to provide a portcullis badge for the centre of the wreath, but you will need to request this at the time you order the wreath, and…

The Financial Conduct Authority is launching a review of the treatment of ‘Politically Exposed Persons’ by financial services companies. You can read about it on their website here: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-launches-review-treatment-politically-exposed-persons

Time: 14:00Date: Thursday 17 August 2023Location: Online via Teams Update from the Members’ Services Team, including: It is nearly one year since the Casework Discussion Forum launched. We would like to use this session to gather your feedback about the Forum, suggestions on how it can be improved, and ideas for what topics you would…

POST, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, sources reliable and impartial scientific research evidence for the UK Parliament. It’s latest publications are:

Available for MPs’ Offices Only Guide to Free Legal Services to support constituency casework The APPG for Access to Justice, which launched last month. They have been working with a number of law firms to explore the types of legal problems that arise in MPs’ casework and one of the barristers involved, Toby Brown, has…

Are you a parliamentary worker who uses evidence-based information as part of your role? A new research project supported by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations is asking what sources of information you use and why. The aim of the work is to understand how evidence could be communicated to policy makers more effectively. Take…

Time: 10:30 – 11:30Date: Thursday 20 July 2023Location: Online via MS Teams England and Wales focus, signposting organisations in Scotland and NI With Lorraine Conway from the Library’s Home Affairs Section To book and view other Caseworker Discussion Q&A sessions, please visit ACT: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=5177

Time: 14:00 – 15:30Date: Tuesday 8 August 2023Location: Online via TeamsOpen to: all Member’s staff. This course is being run in conjunction with the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC). The session will cover: To book, please visit this link https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=2084

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: Tuesday 3 October 2023Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=3240 Time: 10:00 – 11:30Date: Monday 6 November 2023Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking:…

During the summer 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: We finish with a tour of the Hansard offices and the Press Gallery. We will be holding sessions on…

The Wellness Working Group‘s next guest speaker will be Oli Vikse from Andy’s Man Club. Time: 11:00 – 12:00Date: Thursday 29 June 2023Location: Online via Teams Oli Vikse – Project Development Champion, Andy Man Club Please join us to hear Oli talk about ANDY’S MAN CLUB Andy’s Man Club has over 120 free support groups…

The Members’ Services Team (MST) will be holding its monthly stall on Wednesday. You don’t need an excuse to visit – just go and say hello to the MST’s friendly staff! Time: 09:00 – 16:00Date: Wednesday 28 June 2023Location: Top of the escalator in Portcullis House What does the MST do? As well as being…

Health and Wellbeing event Rachael Partleton is a campaigner, advocate, and survivor of economic abuse. You will discover: the subtle warning signs of economic abuse and it’s devastating impact; the differences between purely financial compared with economic abuse; what we can do to protect ourselves, and how to help others and learn how to guard…

Time: 14:00 – 16:00Date: Tuesday 13 June 2023Location: Room T, Portcullis House We would be delighted if you were able to join us at our parliamentary drop-in to launch our new research on the cost effectiveness of growing the rheumatology workforce. Our new research shows growing the rheumatology workforce, in line with our People We…

A Wellness Working Group online event. Presenter: Dr Jennifer Lees-Marshment University of Auckland, New ZealandTime: 11:00 – 12:00Date: Thursday 8 June 2023Location: Online via Teams This presentation will present suggestions for how to improve the management and wellbeing of political staffers, drawing on research conducted in 2022-23 through interviews with political practitioners, including 66 advisers…

The House of Commons Library has updated its briefing on the various options open to an individual who needs legal assistance in relation to their employment rights. You can find the briefing here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02830/

A brand new training course from the Members’ Services Team. The first presentation will be on Tuesday 13 June 2023. For further information and booking, please visit https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=2059 (parliamentary network account required) Course Overview

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…

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…

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. 

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

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

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…

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…

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/

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…

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-/

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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/

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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:…