This page is full of standard letters, templates and forms for you to use when dealing with casework as well as in applying for tours, tickets etc at Westminster. A few are ‘official’ forms and should not be altered but all the others are there for you to adapt and make your own. You will find that having a store of these, either as part of your casework management software or in a folder to be copied and pasted, will save you hours of work – so feel free to help yourself.
1. Casework Resources
Standard response letter for constituents
| Mr John Brown [address] [date]Dear Mr Brown,Thank you for your letter of [date] about [issue/problem/complaint].I have sent a copy of your letter to [name] at [Ministry/Department/Agency] and asked him/her to [respond/investigate/comment]. I will let you know as soon as I receive a response.In order to get the reply to you as quickly as possible, I will forward the reply to you with a compliment slip rather than wait for a letter to be typed out. However, if there are any issues arising from the response which you wish to pursue further, please do not hesitate to let me know.I will treat as confidential all personal information you give to me or to my staff. I may need to pass on this information to others so they can help you. I undertake to handle the information you give me in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018. If you have any queries regarding the processing of your personal data by my office, please contact (insert contact details).Yours sincerely,Alex Chambers Member of Parliament for Sometown |
Standard referral letter
| [Minister/Head of Department/Chief Executive etc] [address] [date] Dear Minister [etc],I have received the enclosed letter from my constituent, Mr John Brown.I would be most grateful if you could let me have your comments in a form that I can forward to my constituent.Yours sincerely,Alex Chambers Member of Parliament for Sometown |
Out-of-constituency standard letter
| Mrs Joan Smith [address] [date]Dear Mrs Smith,Thank you for your letter of [date] about [issue/problem/complaint].I have noted your concerns but I am afraid that I am not able to help you directly. Parliamentary etiquette is that Members of Parliament do not seek to intervene in matters raised by the constituents of other Members. If you have not already done so, I recommend that you write to your own Member of Parliament for assistance. If you are not sure who this is, ring the House of Commons Enquiry Service on 0800 112 4272 or use this website to check: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons – all you need is your postcode.1Yours sincerely Alex Chambers |
Immigration and asylum casework forms. You need to create forms which suit your circumstances but here are a couple of suggestions.
| Information required when investigating the progress of an application to UK Visas and Immigration | |
| Full Name and Address of Applicant: | |
| Date of Birth: | |
| Nationality: | |
| Home Office Reference No: | |
| Type of Application: e.g. Asylum, Indefinite Leave to Remain |
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| Date application submitted: | |
| Additional Useful Information: e.g. recorded delivery details, correspondence from the Home Office, date of any decisions or appeals, reasons for refusal, solicitor’s details. |
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| Information required when dealing with applications for Entry Clearance (visas). | |
| Full Name and Address of Applicant: | |
| Date of Birth: | |
| Nationality: | |
| Where was application made: | |
| Type of application: (visit/spouse/student etc) |
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| Date application submitted: | |
| Application reference number: | |
| Sponsor’s details (if relevant): e.g. occupation and income, relationship to applicant, accommodation offered |
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| Additional useful information: e.g. details of Entry Clearance Officer reasons for refusal notice, any appeal submitted, applicant’s previous immigration history, solicitor’s details |
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Standard advice surgery action sheet
| ADVICE SURGERY ACTION SHEETDate:____________ Place:_______________________ Time: _______________________ Name:_______________________________________ Tel:_________________________ Address:______________________________________ Postcode: ___________________ email:________________________________________Issue to Raise:Other relevant information: (addresses, phone/reference numbers):Action required:To: _________________________ MP From: ________________________ Constituent(s)Data Protection NoticeThe information that you have provided on this form will only be used by (….insert MP name….) and constituency staff in relation to the issues recorded above. In order to deal with these issues it may be necessary to pass your details to third parties including, but not limited to, officials and elected representatives of local and national authorities and bodies. You should read and sign the statement below to show that you understand that your information will be used for the purpose described and that you consent to the proposed processing.If you have any questions or concerns about how your information will be processed or about your right under the Data Protection Act 2018 please contact (insert contact details).I confirm that it is my wish for you to pursue the matters I have discussed with you. In order to do so you may use all information I have provided about me, whether written or spoken, and including sensitive personal information. I understand that you will do so in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018.Signed: _________________________________________ (Constituent(s)) Date: _______________ |
House of Commons Compliments Slips with text added (smaller than actual size) These can be ordered from the stationery supplier.
| House of Commons referral slip | House of Commons “I took up ..…” slip |
| I shall be grateful if you will give the enclosed communication from…………………………………………..your attention and send me a reply which I can forward to my constituent.Please acknowledge. H.C.91B |
I took up with the authorities the matter which you raised with me. I have now received a reply, which I enclose. H.C.92B |
2. Palace of Westminster tours, Big Ben tours and Gallery bookings
For full details of tours and how to book, please see our guide here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/guides-to-parliament/tours-of-the-houses-of-parliament/
Standard letter to other MPs asking for their Commons Chamber Gallery tickets
| [Name] MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA [date] Dear [Name],I have a group of constituents visiting the Palace of Westminster on [date] and I note that you have gallery tickets allocated for that date. If you will not be using them, I should be most grateful if you could let me have them. It would be very helpful if you could either ring my office on [tel. No.] or complete and return the slip below.I will, of course, reciprocate if possible at a future date.Yours sincerely Alex Chambers Member of Parliament for Sometown– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – [ ] Yes, I am able to let you have my gallery tickets for [date].[ ] No, my tickets for [date] are not available. Alex Chambers MP |
Visitors to the Lords public gallery will be directed to a separate queue by the Cromwell Green visitor entrance. No tickets are issued, although be aware that Question Time in the Lords is the busiest period.
| OPENING THE POST – useful guide for staff and/or volunteer workers Open all envelopes and remove all contents, making sure all items from each envelope are stapled, or temporarily paper-clipped, together.Date stamp everything at bottom right hand corner of top page only. Make sure stamp shows today’s date!Sort into piles:
Put all the post in one pile in the following order, with rubber band around it and a Post-it label with the date on it:
NB: Any very urgent letters or imminent events should be marked for immediate attention. Any letters marked “private” or “confidential” should have these words highlighted in yellow. Suspect packages – all packages are scanned on their way into the Parliamentary Estate, but all staff who are required to open mail in the course of their work should bear in mind the possibility of receiving dangerous items or substances. For example, in 2005, packages were detected addressed to Ministers in their Commons offices which turned out to contain a mixture of sugar and weed killer. Look out for:
In the event of receiving a suspicious package or letter:
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