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Preparing for Dissolution 2010
W4MP guide for Members' Staff

Added: 17 March 2010

Preparing for Dissolution: if your boss is seeking re-election
(If s/he's not seeking re-election - click here)

As speculation, trepidation and excitement mount towards the coming election, it is easy to overlook the small fact that, come dissolution day, you will no longer work for a Member of Parliament.  If you are a Westminster staffer, it also means that you will need to have left your office by 5pm on the day of dissolution, and you will not be allowed to return until after polling day.

The House has produced guidance Dissolution Arrangements (now on the public parliament website) and we have pulled out the main points that staff should start thinking about now.  The numbers in brackets refer to the relevant paragraph of the guidance. This guide is intended as a companion rather than a replacement to that document, and we would strongly recommend that you take the time to read through it as well. We are also advised that that there may be further minor changes to the official guidance over the next few weeks so do check that the paragraph numbers still tally. 

The House has also issued a shorter document specifically aimed at Members’ staff, which you can access here.

• Once Parliament is dissolved, you no longer work for an MP: 

From 5pm on the day of dissolution, there are no longer any Members of Parliament. All those who are re-standing become Parliamentary candidates.  As their staff, this means that all your Parliamentary privileges are removed, your pass is disabled, your office will be locked, the email and phone systems will be disabled, and the Library will be off limits.  You will be allowed to onto the premises, escorted by an Attendant, but only to collect ‘papers and post’ (5.2, para.11 of Members’ staff guidance).  You will not be allowed to carry out any work on the premises or use any of the facilities.

• It may all happen very fast...

Usually there are a few days of ‘wash-up’ once the election has been called, to allow all the remaining business – Bills, statutory instruments, Parliamentary questions – to be cleared before Parliament is prorogued and then dissolved.

However, if Parliament is in recess when the election is called, it does not need to be recalled in order to be dissolved. It does not even need to be prorogued.  In 2001, Parliament was dissolved just three days after Tony Blair announced the election date.  So bear this in mind and think ahead: you need to be out of your office by 5pm on the day of dissolution.

• Your salary, and what you can and cannot do:

During the period of the election, you’ll continue to be paid by Parliament. This means that you cannot carry out any party political work during your normal working hours. 

Realistically, particularly if your role is Westminster-based and you are not intending to spend the whole period in a state of limbo, this means that there are three options open to you, which you may want to mix and match (2.15, 2.17).  Do make time to sit down with your boss before the election is called, to work out what you will be doing:

1. You can carry out work “not connected with the election campaign, such as research, office-keeping and constituency casework”. This cannot be done on the Parliamentary estate so either means an extended visit to the constituency office or working from home.

2. You can take annual leave, making sure that you keep a note of it “in case of challenge”. Then what you do with your holiday time is up to you.

3. You can take unpaid leave: again, what you then choose to do with your own time is up to you.  Your boss must inform the Personnel Advice Service (formerly the Fees Office) of this in advance (i.e. before the election is called) so that your pay can be stopped for the relevant period. This will also affect your pension contributions and the childcare voucher scheme.

Alternatively, but only in exceptional circumstances, you may carry out party political activities during working hours if your boss reimburses the Personnel Advice Service with your salary and pension contributions, and declares the payments as election expenditure (2.16).

There is more information about this issue in the Official Guidance for Members’ Staff , which we strongly recommend that you read.

Particular points for Westminster staff

• Think about what to take from the Westminster office: In the busy-ness of the pre-election period it’s easy to put this off, but it’s highly advisable to put some time aside before dissolution to gather together everything you might conceivably need during the next few weeks.  You will be relieved to hear that you don’t need to clear the office but you should make sure anything valuable is locked away.  You should clear your desk and all the surfaces as your office will be cleaned whilst you’re away (5.5).

• Going to the constituency? If you are planning to spend some time in the constituency over the election, and do not normally live there, make sure that you have found somewhere to stay in advance. A word of advice at this point: it’s really not a good idea to stay with your boss during the campaign.  This is a period of high stress, high intensity and often high emotion.  Parliamentary candidates will have so little time to themselves during this time that they will need their space when they can get it – and you will need yours.  Try to make sure that you are staying somewhere where you can go into your room, close the door and shut the world out if you need to. 

• Redirecting email:  The Parliamentary Network (PN) accounts and email access will be suspended from 5pm on the day of dissolution. You will be able to redirect your emails to a personal email account, and once the Election has been called, PICT will send round instructions on setting this up.  It is advisable to make a backup (this link is to the intranet) of your Outlook contacts and personal folders that you can burn to CD or copy to an external hard drive (3.2).

• Computers: You can take any centrally-provided laptops away with you (3.8) but not the PCs, and the U and S drives will be disabled (3.2), so make sure you copy off anything you need from your hard drive. NB: no machines provided for parliamentary purposes can be used for political activities unless rental is paid - see below under ‘other points to note’ for more detail.

• Phones and fax: Any diverts to external lines will be cancelled (4.1). The voicemail system will be disabled so that people cannot leave messages.  However, you will be able to record a message (this link is to the intranet) explaining that the office is closed for the duration of the election period, and providing an alternative contact number (4.3). Remember to unplug your fax machine, too.

• Post: You can call the post room on x4369 to get all the mail redirected to an external address (e.g. the constituency office) for the duration of dissolution (7.4).

• Make sure you return any outstanding library books, DVDs etc, or your boss may be required to pay a replacement fee (9.2).

• Room bookings: After the election, many of the meeting and committee rooms will be used for housing new MPs until they get offices (13.1). Therefore, if you make any bookings ahead of the election for post-election dates, hold them lightly.  The advice is to contact the Events Team on 020 7219 3090 after the election, to find out which rooms will be available.

• Functions: all functions booked through the catering department will be cancelled for the dissolution period, but if they are booked for the post-election period and your boss is returned, they will stand (8.1).

• Keeping fit: your gym membership will be suspended during the period of dissolution (13.11).

Particular Points for Constituency staff:

If your job mainly involves casework, this is likely to continue during the election period, as your boss can continue responding to constituency casework (6.1).  However, there are a number of issues you will need to consider:

• Computers: you can still use the computers in the constituency office for casework during dissolution (3.9) but access to the U and S drives will be suspended from 5pm on the day of dissolution (3.2).

• Email and internet: If you have a Parliamentary email account, it will be disabled from 5pm on the day of dissolution: see above for redirection of email and backing up your Outlook contacts and folders.  “All remote access to accounts on the PN, whether via VPN or Citrix, will be withdrawn from 5pm on the day of dissolution.” (3.4).You will still be able to use internet broadband for constituency related work only (3.5)

• PICT: Where urgent casework is being conducted and a fault with centrally provided equipment arises, essential support from PICT, sufficient to allow the urgent casework to continue will be provided - but not otherwise  (3.11).

• Use of stationery, postage and letterheads: From dissolution until after polling day, your boss cannot use the title “Member of Parliament” or the House of Commons address.  Neither can they use official Commons stationery or envelopes.  This means you will need to use a different letterhead, using the words “[Party] candidate for [Constituency]” and you will have to buy in a stash of plain stationery, envelopes and stamps, the cost of which your boss can subsequently claim back (6.1, 7.1). 

Other points to note

• Websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts, etc: All MPs’ websites must display the following disclaimer: “This website was established while I was a Member of Parliament. As Parliament has been dissolved there are no Members of Parliament until after the election on XX XXX 20XX”. (2.10).  It is advisable to use an alternative campaign website because any website funded from the Communications Allowance, or which has the letters “MP” in the URL must be frozen for the duration of dissolution. “This means the website may remain online, but that no new content should be added except the disclaimer, contact details and/or a link to an alternative web site.” (2.12)

• Using IT for non-parliamentary purposes: If your PC or laptop was paid for from Parliamentary allowances, and you want to use it for campaigning work, your boss will need to rent it back at their own expense and declare the cost as part of their election expenses.  They will need to notify the authorities of this decision before the election is announced, by calling 020 7219 1340.  There is a schedule of charges available on the intranet here (this link is to the intranet) (3.8, 3.12-13).
   

• Constituent visits to Parliament

• Tickets: “All bookings of Admission Orders, including the automatic allocation of seats in the Strangers’ Gallery, will be cancelled immediately Parliament is dissolved. Bookings already made for educational parties on days after the House re-assembles will stand. No further bookings for the galleries may be made until after the results of the General Election are known”. (13.2)
   

• Tours:  If you have tours booked for after the election, make sure that any provisional dates have been confirmed, otherwise they will be cancelled at dissolution.  You cannot make any bookings or escort anyone on a tour during dissolution (13.3-4). However:

• You can book tours and Big Ben trips for the period of dissolution: they will automatically be transferred to the sponsorship of the House authorities, and you will need to tell your constituents of this.
• You can also make bookings for the new Parliament, and sponsorship will again be transferred to the House authorities.
• “The Visitor Route re-opens the day after polling day but tours falling within the period of State Opening, including preparation time, will be curtailed or cancelled.” (13.8)

If your boss is standing down

If your boss is not standing for re-election, guidance starts on p.22 of the dissolution arrangements.

It includes information on salaries (which cease on the day of the election), pension arrangements, redundancy payments and the winding up allowance. Your boss should get information from the Personnel Advice Service on 020 7219 2080 on specific arrangements for their own staff.

You will be allowed access to the Parliamentary network and your email account until 5pm on the day before the election (2.1).   You will need to remove all data from Westminster-based computers within ten days after dissolution and from other computers by the day before polling day (2.5).  You will have ten days after dissolution to clear your office (4.3).   

The Members’ Centre will be open from 10am to 4pm in the week after dissolution to offer advice to former Members and staff who are clearing their desks. (9.3)

The guidance also contains information on data protection and destroying or passing on casework records.

If your boss is not returned

Sadly, this eventuality has to be considered and there is guidance from p.30 of the dissolution arrangements. It covers redundancy payments and the winding up allowance.  Email accounts will be re-enabled for ten days after the Election and former Members and their staff will have ten days to clear their offices and remove data from their computers. The House services will try to offer as much help as they can at a difficult time.

JL March 2010

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