The current Chairman of Ways and Means, the Rt Hon Lindsay Hoyle MP, will be giving an open lecture on Friday the 14th of March on what constitutes his position, and what duties it involves.

The title originates in the fact that the position was originally as the chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, which has since been abolished. Unique functions include acting as Chair of the Committee of the Whole House, overseeing any matters concerning private bills, and overseeing the arrangements for sittings in Westminster Hall.

The position is also as the principal of the Speaker’s three deputies. It was combined in the mid-19th century with the new position of the first formal Deputy Speaker, and these titles are interchangeable. Prior to this combination, there were other ways for an MP to deputise for the Speaker if he was, for instance, ill.

For more details on the lecture, see the entry on our events page under the 14th of March. For more information on the position of the Chairman of Ways and Means, see the Parliament website here, and Wikipedia here.

On the 3rd of February, the Commons Library released their latest briefing on recent developments in tax relief for childcare.

The briefing covers the Labour measure of 1990 that ’employees would not be taxed on the benefits they received from using a nursery or playscheme provided by their employer’; the 2004 Labour measure giving £50 a week of tax-free childcare to employees, under certain guidelines; Gordon Brown’s 2009 proposal that ‘this relief should be withdrawn to fund the extension of free childcare for two year olds’, which was not implemented; and the 2013 Conservative plans for ‘tax-free childcare from autumn 2015, to replace the current relief for employer-supported childcare’ for qualifying families; as well as many other details.

See the briefing here.

‘Charityworks’ is an organisation that sets graduates up in a traineeship position with non-profit organisations across the UK. The graduates are in a full-time, paid position, with a mentor, and the chance to conduct some research of their own.

Charityworks was set up to provide the non-profit sector with a means of finding and training talented individuals,  provide those individuals with a way into the sector, and  promote the non-profit sector as a viable, attractive career. In 2014 there will be 100 places available, with more than 50 organisations.

Applications can be made from the 5th of February to the 16th of April, via the Charityworks website, where more information – for example about partner organisations, and views from previous participants – is also available.

Tuned in or Turned off? Public attitudes to Prime Minister’s Questions, a new research report from the Hansard Society is published today. The report examines public attitudes to Prime Minister’s Questions and asks whether PMQs is a ‘cue’ for their wider negative perceptions of Parliament.

According to the Hansard Society:

 Supporters of PMQs in its current form argue that it is great parliamentary drama, envied by citizens in other countries whose leaders are rarely held to account in public. But our focus group research shows that the drama and theatre of the event is not appreciated in a positive way. In the dismissive words of one participant, ‘this was noise and bluster and showing off – theatrical but not good’.

 More information on the Hansard Society website

From time to time we come across an organisation we think will be of interest to W4MP regulars.  Here’s one: Year Here Social Leadership Programme.

If what they are offering does appeal to you and you want to apply, don’t contact us – get in touch with them via http://yearhere.org/welcome/.

Good luck….and HURRY – applications close on 3 February for the 2014 programme!

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We’re looking for the best and brightest graduates to tackle London’s toughest social challenges.

You’ll serve in demanding frontline roles; learn from top social entrepreneurs and work alongside leading institutions including the Cabinet Office, Teach First and Citizens UK.

We set the bar high.

Our fellows must have the courage, vision and audacity to create a better society. Over nine months you’ll be challenged to:

• Serve in tough frontline roles. Your first four months will be spent in schools, care homes, and homeless shelters, understanding first-hand the daily realities of people living at the margins of society.
• Develop leadership, professional and creative skills. Throughout the programme you’ll be mentored by our remarkable faculty of social entrepreneurs, business leaders and policy makers. Our curriculum includes financial modelling, public speaking, and design methods.
• Make a tangible impact. By the autumn, you’ll be delivering a consulting project to national charities, corporates or government; and developing a working social enterprise.

The programme will close with Grad Fest, a chance to showcase your work and network with employers and partners. You’ll gain a Year Here diploma, and endorsements from key industry leaders.

We believe in innovators, agitators and doers, not just cogs in the system.

If you are idealistic but critical; curious and brave; and want to take a rigorous approach to real issues – apply now.

Here’s the link: http://yearhere.org/welcome/.  Applications close at midnight on the 3rd of February.

A new website has been launched to make what’s going on with the Lords more accessible by connecting all of the social media used by the Lords to one base. This provides the public with a comprehensive, real-time view all current social media activity by Peers.

The website connects the Twitter, Facebook and Youtube accounts of Peers, their blogs, and a page listing all contributing Peers.

You can see the Lords Digital Chamber here.

The fine people at the Hansard Society have written to tell us about Sense4us, a new tool being developed at research centres across Europe that will collect information to give policy makers the most recent data and most recent, applicable information on public opinion and ongoing discussions. According to their writeup, the project will ‘create a toolkit that will support information gathering, analyzing and policy modelling in real-time’.

The British government proposes to  use Sense4us as a means to make us of the huge amount of data currently available and always growing. It will enable policy makers to access quickly and efficiently the most current information relevant to the policy they are examining; and long-term, the one of the aims is that the Sense4us tool will be able to use this array of data to ‘simulate the consequences and impact of potential policies‘, allowing policy-makers thereby to adapt their plans for the best results. It could be the first small step towards Isaac Asimov’s vision of psychohistory!

For more information, see the Hansard Society here, and the Sense4us website here.

There was a Point of Order in the Commons last week about the need for Members to inform the local MP when visiting her/his constituency.  You can see the Point of Order and the response by the Deputy Speaker here.

On a related topic there is a Standard Note (last updated in January 2012) entitled Members and constituency etiquette which covers that issue as well as some others. It is SN/PC/02028 by Richard Kelly. Click here to read it.

W4MP also has a guide which starts with this question: “Should I be representing this constituent? S/he doesn’t live in my constituency but has asked for our help.” You can read the W4MP guide here.

None of the advice available manages to be entirely clear about the rules but, if in doubt, we still feel that the advice below is the best guide:

There is an oft-quoted “strict parliamentary protocol” that MPs do not pursue issues raised by or about constituents of other MPs. Our view on this has always been: “In the absence of any very clear definition of this protocol, you should use common sense and refer any matter concerning someone who is not your constituent to his or her own MP.”

There you are; that’s your Christmas/New Year homework sorted for you!