APPG

Of Boys and Men’. Richard Reeves

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MPs and their staff are invited to join the APPG on Issues Affecting Men and Boys when they hear from Richard V. Reeves, Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, Brookings Institution, Washington D.C. on the findings from his new book ‘Of Boys and Men’

Date: Wednesday 16th November 10.15 am for 10.30-11.30am
Venue: Archbishop’s Room, Millbank House, 3 Millbank, House of Lords, London SW1P 3JU
Chair: Nick Fletcher MP, chair of the APPG.

Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It.

Originally from the UK, Richard’s former roles include Director of Strategy to the then Deputy Prime Minister, and Director of the think-tank Demos. In 2017, Politico magazine named Richard one of the top 50 thinkers in the U.S. for his work on class and inequality.

Men are losing ground in the labour market, falling behind in education, increasingly missing out on family life – a position that’s even worse for Black men.

• The gender gap in college degrees awarded is wider today than it was in the early 1970s – but in the opposite direction.
• The wages of most men are lower today in real terms than they were in 1979 while women’s wages have risen across the board.
• One in five fathers are not living with their children.
• Men account for two out of three ‘deaths of despair’, either from a suicide or an overdose.

Previous attempts to treat this condition, from all political angles, have made the same fatal mistake – of viewing the problems of men as a problem with men.

This book shows how the basic social structures defining masculine maturity and success have been shattered, and how they can — and must — be reinvented.

Workshops from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests

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The Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests runs workshops for Members and their staff on the following subjects together with the next available dates.  The workshops will be run remotely via MS Teams.

A. Openness and Registering Members’ Financial Interests, covering:

  • How to help your Member register and declare interests
  • The rules on paid lobbying by MPs
  • How and when to register your own interests

Dates:

  • Thursday 18 March at 14.00

 

B. How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), covering

  • Register entries
  • APPG Secretariats (volunteers, Members’ staff, outside organisations)
  • Members and Officers
  • Meetings (including AGMs, inaugurals and other formal meetings)
  • Transparency and records, including APPG websites
  • Income and expenditure statements

Dates:

  • Thursday 18 March at 11.00

Booking required. Please contact [email protected] to book a place.

Workshops from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests

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The Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests runs workshops for Members and their staff on the following subjects together with the next available dates.  The workshops will be run remotely via MS Teams.

A. Openness and Registering Members’ Financial Interests, covering:

  • How to help your Member register and declare interests
  • The rules on paid lobbying by MPs
  • How and when to register your own interests

Dates:

  • Thursday 25 February at 14.00
  • Thursday 18 March at 14.00

 

B. How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), covering

  • Register entries
  • APPG Secretariats (volunteers, Members’ staff, outside organisations)
  • Members and Officers
  • Meetings (including AGMs, inaugurals and other formal meetings)
  • Transparency and records, including APPG websites
  • Income and expenditure statements

Dates:

  • Thursday 25 February at 11.00
  • Thursday 18 March at 11.00

Booking required. Please contact [email protected] to book a place.

Workshops from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests

Standard

The Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests runs workshops for Members and their staff on the following subjects together with the next available dates.  The workshops will be run remotely via MS Teams.

A. Openness and Registering Members’ Financial Interests, covering:

  • How to help your Member register and declare interests
  • The rules on paid lobbying by MPs
  • How and when to register your own interests

Dates:

  • Thursday 4 February at 10.00
  • Thursday 25 February at 14.00
  • Thursday 18 March at 14.00

 

B. How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), covering

  • Register entries
  • APPG Secretariats (volunteers, Members’ staff, outside organisations)
  • Members and Officers
  • Meetings (including AGMs, inaugurals and other formal meetings)
  • Transparency and records, including APPG websites
  • Income and expenditure statements

Dates:

  • Thursday 4 February at 14.00
  • Thursday 25 February at 11.00
  • Thursday 18 March at 11.00

Booking required. Please contact [email protected] to book a place.

How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) – Online Workshop Seminar

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Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests will be holding seminars virtually (via MS Teams) until further notice, with each lasting about an hour.

How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)

This seminar will cover:

  • Register entries
  • APPG Secretariats (volunteers, Members’ staff, outside organisations)
  • Members and Officers
  • Meetings (including AGMs, inaugurals and other formal meetings)
  • Transparency and records, including APPG websites
  • Income and expenditure statements

Forthcoming dates:

  • Thursday 10 December at 11am
  • Tuesday 15 December at 3pm

Please email [email protected] to tell them your preferred date.  They will then email you the joining instructions. These will include a link to the MS Teams App, which you should download and install before the meeting if you do not already have it on the device that you will be using to attend the meeting.

If the dates above are unsuitable please tell them and they will contact you when further dates are arranged.

Finding legal advice for your constituents

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MPs are there to help only with those matters for which Parliament or central government is  responsible.  MPs are not there to help in private disputes with neighbours, with an employer, with family matters or with companies who have sold faulty goods; nor can they interfere with decisions made by courts.

MPs’ offices should not give out legal advice to constituents, nor should they be involved in Judicial Reviews.  You should ask your constituents to seek independent legal advice given by a suitably qualified person with professional liability insurance.  Judicial Reviews require specialist advice.

MPs should not write to judges as they may appear as attempts to interfere with legal proceedings.  Read more in the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Advice Note.

Law Centres defend the legal rights of people who cannot afford a lawyer. They are specialists working in their local communities to uphold justice and advance equality.  There are various Law Centres throughout the country who https://www.lawcentres.org.uk/about-law-centres/law-centres-on-google-maps/alphabetically

LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay and with the not-for-profit organisations that support them.  https://www.lawworks.org.uk/

Citizens Advice Bureau: Citizens Advice Bureau (external website)
Their network of independent charities offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.  They are independent and totally impartial.  They also give advice on consumer rights on their consumer helpline, support witnesses in courts through the Witness Service and give pension guidance to people aged over 50.

Immigration

In the case of immigration matters, it is against the law to dispense immigration advice unless you are registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or a member of an approved professional body such as the Law Society.

Find an immigration adviser: https://www.gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser

The Public Law Project employs specialist lawyers who assist individuals experiencing personal disadvantage, or charities or organisations representing the interests of marginalised or disadvantaged groups.  PLP also employs expert academics and researchers.

They may be able to take on individual cases that are referred to them by other lawyers, advisors, MPs or voluntary groups.  If they are unable to help, they may be able to signpost you to other lawyers or agencies that can.

Have a look at their page on helping individuals here; https://publiclawproject.org.uk/can-we-help/individuals/

The Public Law Project also gives information on Judicial Reviews here: https://publiclawproject.org.uk/resources/an-introduction-to-judicial-review-2/

The Unity Project supports migrants who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

Karma Nirvana is a project which supports victims of honour-based violence and forced marriage.  https://karmanirvana.org.uk/

Further information

See the House of Commons Library Constituency Casework Guides:

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Legal Aid: https://www.apg-legalaid.org/

From the APPG’s website:

“The APPG on Legal Aid provides bespoke training to MPs and their caseworkers on a range of subjects through the House of Commons Library. Studies and research have shown that as a consequence of the LASPO cuts there has been a huge increase in the number and complexity of legal problems that MPs are encountering in their surgeries. Our training is designed specifically with caseworkers in mind and provided by industry experts. To date, we have provided training in the following areas:

  • Legal Aid,
  • Immigration,
  • Housing Law,
  • Disability and Discrimination Law,
  • Employment Law,
  • Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and
  • Special Education Needs.

Feedback for the courses has been excellent. We have also developed courses in soft skills and interviewing techniques for new casework staff as part of the House of Commons induction process.

For further information about these courses, please check the ACT website.

We also provide briefings for individual MPs and select committees on various areas within legal aid. For further information, please contact [email protected].”

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Justice:
https://www.appg-access-to-justice.co.uk/

 

Signposting Guide to Pro Bono & Other Free Advice

The Guide to Pro Bono & Other Free Advice is a directory for MPs, their caseworkers, charity sector staff and others looking to signpost individuals to free legal and other advice.

It covers:

  • Legal aid i.e. legal assistance funded by the Government.
  • Pro bono i.e. free legal advice or representation provided by volunteer lawyers to individuals and charities who cannot afford to pay but where legal aid is unavailable.
  • Front line advice organisations, which provide assistance from general advice through to specialist legal support. Note some areas have regulatory restrictions in particular debt and immigration.
  • Online guidance about legal issues and the legal process.
  • Specialist charities providing general advice/support for particular groups or problems, reflecting that legal issues often occur alongside non-legal issues. Some of those charities may offer legal information or advice, or may be able to signpost to it.

Having been launched in the last Parliament with the support of the APPG on Access to Justice, the updated Guide for England & Wales was recently endorsed by the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee.

The Guide is now located at the new website of the Attorney General’s Committee at probonocommittee.uk/MPs where there is a dedicated section for MPs and their caseworkers, with various information including an explanation about pro bono, guidance about working with local agencies and signposting free legal advice, and a summary of legal aid.

Hard copies are being sent to all MPs in England & Wales at their offices at Westminster, with a covering letter from Solicitor General, Sarah Sackman KC MP.

The Solicitor General recently referred to the Guide’s publication in an article in the Law Society Gazette, and discussed the Guide in a short video on LinkedIn.

A sister guide for Scotland is linked to on the same website, and a Welsh language version of the Wales chapter is also available.

If MPs or caseworkers would like additional hard copies sent to them, they can email [email protected]

All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group

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All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group

The All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group is a cross-party group of Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords of all the main parties, including members from the Crossbenches in the Lords.

The Group has grown rapidly, from its first beginnings in the 1960s; in 1996 it had 47 members and it now has over 110. Associate membership of the Group is also open to staff of MPs and peers and staff working for the House of Commons or House of Lords.

The Group is not part of Humanists UK, but Humanists UK provides the secretariat for the Group.

For more information you can email Karen Wright, Humanists UK Public Affairs Manager and the APPHG Administrator.

The Group meets around four times a year to hear speakers and discuss relevant issues, as well as to share information and receive briefings on matters of interest. These matters are wide-ranging and include the promotion of a rational approach to bioethical, medical, and scientific issues; the defence of free speech, civil liberties, and education; constitutional issues and freedom of religion or belief; and other issues of relevance to humanists.

On 25 February 2020, members elected the following individuals as officers for the parliamentary term. 

Chair: Crispin Blunt MP (Conservative) 

Co-Chair: Baroness Bakewell DBE (Labour) 

Vice Chairs: Clive Lewis MP (Labour), Tommy Sheppard MP (SNP), Jeff Smith MP (Labour), Lord Warner of Brockley (Crossbencher), Lord Taverne of Pimlico (Liberal Democrats), Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrats), and the Viscount Ridley (Conservative)

Secretary: Baroness Massey of Darwen (Labour) 

Treasurer: Lord Dubs of Battersea (Labour)

For more information, please contact Crispin Blunt MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. Tel: 020 7219 2254. Email: [email protected]

or view the Group’s website: https://humanism.org.uk/about/humanists-in-parliament/

Christians in Parliament

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Christians in Parliament is an All-Party Parliamentary Group, which exists to support all Members and staff in their work in the Houses of Parliament.

We do this through:

  • Bible study and prayer groups, one-to-one contact and chapel services
  • Speaker events and discussion groups examining the truth and relevance of the Christian faith to personal and political life
  • Policy discussions and briefings informed by the Bible and Christian theology
  • Organising the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast

 Particular events of interest may be:

  • weekly chapel services on Tuesday lunchtimes when Parliament is sitting
  • weekly prayer meeting for Parliamentary staff on Thursday lunchtimes

For further information, please see the Christians in Parliament website here: https://www.christiansinparliament.org.uk/

Follow them on Twitter: @CiPAPPG

Guide to All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)

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Index

  1. Introduction
  2. Registering a Group
  3. Notifying changes
  4. Administration of Groups
  5. Membership of Groups
  6. Meetings

1. Introduction

All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are essentially groups with cross-party membership of MPs and Peers, which meet to discuss, campaign on and promote a certain issue.  MPs often find that forming and chairing an APPG can be an effective part of a parliamentary campaign, as it can act as an extra vehicle with which to spread awareness of the issue within parliament and as a springboard to events and publicity.  Chairmanship of a prominent group can occasionally give serious status to the holder; the Chair of the APPG for Beer and Pubs was known informally for some years as the Minister for Fun.

There are hundreds of All Party Groups, covering almost every interest and issue you could imagine, and ranging in scope from the niche APPG for Parkrun to the huge APPG for Africa.

All groups must be properly registered with the Registrar’s Office and listed on the register, which is updated roughly every 6 weeks when the Commons is sitting.  You can see the current Register here: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/registers-of-interests/register-of-all-party-party-parliamentary-groups/

Despite their usefulness, APPGs are relatively informal compared with other cross-party bodies such as Select Committees of the House, (whose membership is decided by election, who are staffed through the Clerks’ Office and whose Chairs are paid an extra salary).  Any reports produced by an APPG may be co-authored by an external sponsorship organisation, and should not be confused with a Select Committee report which will be signed off purely by MPs.

2. Registering a Group

The administration of the Register is maintained by the Assistant Registrar in the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards (ext. 3738).  To be included on the Register or on the Approved List (see below) a group must first complete the Registration Form for APPGs.

Once registered, the group is sent the Rules on APPGs, which sets out the rules on the day-to-day conduct of registered groups.  If you have been asked to administer a Group, it is worth reading the Rules – or reacquainting yourself with the recently updated Guide – to ensure you know what Groups can and cannot do.  If you know the Rules, you will be in a better position to advise the officers and members of the Group.

3. Notifying changes

Once registered, groups are required to notify the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards of any change required to their Register entry within 28 days of such a change arising.  Each group’s Register entry shows its title, officers, financial and material assistance received from outside Parliament, and relevant occupations of its staff.

4. Administration of Groups

All Party Groups are run by the group’s officers and their staff, sometimes with help from external organisations who may provide funding for receptions or staff to run the group.  The amount of work a Group generates depends entirely on how active it is.  Some groups may only meet a couple of times a year and have very little output; others meet far more frequently and may engage in a range of activities, such as hosting events, conducting inquiries and publishing reports.  If you have been asked to coordinate a Group, you should take your lead from the group’s officers as to what they want to do and how they want to do it, as no two groups are the same.

5. Membership of Groups

APPGs are informal and as such are not part of official parliamentary business. There are over 500 APPGs and their membership changes constantly. Hence only the names and roles of an APPG’s officers (who are its leaders) are included on the Register of APPGs.

It is the responsibility of each APPG to maintain a comprehensive an up-to-date list of its members and to publish it on the APPG’s website or (if it has no website) make the list available on request to anyone who asks the APPG for a copy.

An MP can be a member of as many APPGs as they like, but they may not be an officer of any more than six APPGs.

6. Meetings

Whenever you organise a meeting for an All Party Group, make sure you notify the Government Whips Office by emailing [email protected], so that it can be included on the Weekly All-Party Notice.  This is essential for AGMs though not compulsory for ordinary meetings.  However, most Members of the House of Commons and Lords read the All-Party Notices so it is a good way of promoting the meetings.  The All-Party Notices are emailed to all MPs every Thursdays with the weekly business and the deadline for submitting a notice is 5pm the day before (Wednesday).

You can see more information on All-Party Parliamentary Groups here: http://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/apg/