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dissolution arrangements update
Arrangements
for the Dissolution of Parliament.
Important information - all you need to know.
Revised: 5 April 2005
Updates 5 April 2005:
More than 200 staff of MPs packed into the Grand Committee Room off Westminster Hall on Monday 28 February to hear from House staff about arrangements for the forthcoming Dissolution of Parliament. Thanks to the Secretaries’ and Assistants’ Council for arranging the meeting.
Given that around 2,500 staff work for MPs that means that only one in ten of you were at the meeting so here’s an update for everyone else.
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James Robertson – Assistant Serjeant at Arms (x 3060)
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Judy Scott-Thompson SAA Clerk in Charge (accommodation) (x 3080)
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Loraine Midda – Parliamentary Communications Dept (x 5048)
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Terry Bird – the new Director of Operations in F and A Dept (x 4292)
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Heather Wood – Deputy Director (Operations) F and A Dept (x 5732)
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Peter Vines - Chair of Secretaries' and Assistants' Council (x 4591)
The aim of all the arrangements connected
with the Dissolution is to create a “level playing field” for all
candidates in the General Election, so that there is no advantage to
existing MPs.
A very useful guide is already available
on the parliamentary intranet: “Dissolution
Arrangements”. Details: www.w4mp.org/html/eni/2004q4/041223_dissolution.asp.
It is 13 pages long and full of answers to all the questions you
might have. If you haven’t
already done so, look at it NOW. There
are things you need to do BEFORE the Dissolution comes into force,
particularly on the IT side of your work.
The Finance and Admin Dept are working on a new election guide which will supplement information currently in the Green Book. This will eventually go on the Intranet.
Some of the key concerns raised in the
meeting:
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Your pay: If your MP is returned at the Election your pay should continue without problems. MPs who are standing down (70 at the last count) and those who are not returned must issue staff with a redundancy notice. See: www.w4mp.org/html/library/guides/0502_redundancy.asp and there’s relevant information on the DTI website: www.dti.gov.uk/er/redundancy.htm
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Campaigning: There were a lot of questions about whether paid staff of MPs could campaign during the election. Staff were advised that they are not allowed to campaign during the hours for which they are paid out of parliamentary allowances. So, what if you take your holiday - or your boss wants to give you extra holiday time - during the election or you normally work other than 9-5 Mon-Fri? W4MP’s view is that this is one of those times when trying to winkle out precise answers to your particular circumstances is a futile exercise; House authorities can only tell you that if you are paid and have no holiday to take then you will be expected to work the equivalent of normal hours during the election. After that you are free to campaign to your heart’s content. And the best of luck to you! But see further important comments on Constituency Staff below.
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IT issues: Access to the Intranet will disappear once the Dissolution takes effect. PCD will be issuing a Tips and Hints guide to a number of vital steps you need to take BEFORE the Dissolution, for example, to protect stuff you may have on your S and/or U drives which you may need while continuing to do casework while the election is underway.
Constituency
based staff are still likely to have some responsibilities during the
dissolution, particularly on ongoing casework.
They will be entitled to continue to use machines supplied centrally
as part of their Member entitlement for this purpose.
This
does not mean that staff are free to undertake ‘party
political duties or non-parliamentary duties’ during the dissolution.
If a member of staff did undertake such work during the dissolution
the cost of their staff time would need to be reimbursed and the salary
costs appear in the election expenses return of the individual candidate.
In
addition, an MP (or ex member) cannot grant an employee additional
paid leave to enable them to ‘volunteer’ for the party or an individual
candidate’s campaign.
Clearly
individual members of staff are entitled to volunteer their services
to the Party or to an individual candidate’s campaign in their own free
time. The services of someone
volunteering to help the party or an individual candidate in their own free
time would not need to appear in the expenses return of a candidate.
This includes people who:
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work for the party or an individual candidate in the evenings/weekends/days off
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take unpaid leave from work
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use their normal leave entitlement (annual leave and any accrued time off in lieu. Note: Standard House of Commons contracts state that; ‘Your normal working week will be based on an average of 37.5 hours net.’ And in addition; ‘Some evening and weekend work may be required. If you are asked to work additional hours, time off in lieu will normally be granted.’)
Members
of staff who wish to volunteer in a campaigning capacity during the campaign
should discuss this with their MP in advance of the campaign in order to
determine the basis on which they will be volunteering:
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members of staff may also wish to use some of their normal leave entitlement during the campaign (annual leave and any accrued time off in lieu). In this case they should ensure that there are clear records of leave taken in case of challenge
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if extra unpaid time off is going to be taken then the Fees Office should be informed.
Following these discussions the
individual member of staff will know on what basis and for what length of
time they are able to volunteer during the campaign.
The MP may wish to confirm this in writing to the member of staff.
Further information
W4MP
is asking the various House departments to make available as much
information as possible so we can hold it on our website which will, of
course, remain live throughout the General Election.
Watch this space.
All the political parties are currently (or are likely soon to be) issuing firm advice on the perils of paid staff of MPs undertaking party political duties during the dissolution. You would do well to read it carefully.
If you have specific questions of your own
about how you might be affected by the General Election, ring the people
listed at the top of this page.
You might also like to
know that the person who can answer questions about your pension
arrangements is Ian Miller x 5759.
Need training?
If your MP is standing down or you are leaving at this election, have a look at the two new training packages designed by WWP specially for you: 'Impressive CVs' and 'Effective Interview Techniques'.
There is a good deal of information now on the Electoral Commission’s website, including advice to candidates and to donors. It’s at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk
