POST Training for Academic Researchers

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POST – the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology – is presenting regional training sessions for researchers to learn how the UK Parliament works and ways to engage with Parliament using research, with a particular focus on framing and communicating your research in a policy context.

What does the training cover?
This training gives an overview of the UK Parliament and covers ways to work with the institution including details on Select Committees, legislative scrutiny, the House of Commons and House of Lords libraries, and POST. It also includes sessions on identifying how your research relates to policy, and communicating your research at Parliament.

How is the training delivered?
Sessions are delivered by officials from POST and Select Committees. The training is interactive and practical. You will leave with an action plan, plenty of resources and the chance to join our alumni network to receive further opportunities and support from Parliament. Refreshments and lunch are included.

Who should attend?
This event is aimed at academic researchers as well as those working in policy brokerage/research impact roles.

What will I learn?
As a result of the training you will:

  • understand Parliament’s role and processes and the difference between Parliament and Government
  • know how research is used in the UK Parliament
  • be able to identify opportunities to feed your research into Parliament’s work
  • know how your research could be relevant to Parliament’s work, and how to frame it in this context
  • learn tips and advice on communicating your research at Parliament including style and tone
  • be aware of where to go for further support

What does it cost?
There is an attendance fee of £40, including VAT. If this fee is a barrier to your attendance, please contact us; we may make exceptions in some circumstances.

More information can be found at www.parliament.uk/academic-training

New online resource – Armed Conflict Database

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

New online resource provided by the House of Commons Library  

The Armed Conflict Database provides in-depth data, timelines and reports on conflicts worldwide. 

The ACD enables the user to assess the effects of armed conflict on a region or a country. Users can view historic trends and patterns in conflicts and read regular reports on new conflict trends. 

The database holds annual figures for global conflict trends, as well as multi-year statistics on fatalities, refugees and IDPs. 

Wellbeing classes in Westminster

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Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.

https://parlinet.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-members-staff/

The Parliamentary Health and Wellbeing service is running a number of classes related to maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing. These include mindfulness, meditation and relaxtion; Yoga and postural and relaxation classes.

Wellbeing classes will commence on 7 January 2019

For details see the Parliamentary Intranet

Gender-Sensitive Parliament Audit published

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 The Gender-Sensitive Parliament Audit, carried out by members and staff of both Houses of Parliament, was published on Thursday 20 December 2018.

It finds that steady progress has been made in increasing the representation of women in both Houses, but there are still barriers to women standing as MPs or putting themselves forward to the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Read more on the Parliament website

One Hundred Years Ago: Votes for (Some) Women

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Today is the centenary of the 1918 General Election when women over thirty and all men over the age of 21 were able to vote.

It also saw the first woman MP elected, though as Constance Markievicz was a member for ‎Sinn Féin she did not take her seat.

The photograph is of  House of Doors, by Kristina Clackson Bonnington, a sculpture that was in Westminster Hall last month. See https://old.parliament.uk/house-of-doors/ for more details.

House of Doors is supported by the Lord Speaker’s Advisory Panel on Works of Art and the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art.

Find out more about House of Doors at www.houseofdoors.org

Changes to government email addresses

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The Government Secure Intranet (GSi) network is being phased out across government, which means that organisations will be dropping ‘gsi’ from their email addressees.

Some organisations have already made this change, such as the DVLA and the FCO, and others will be changing theirs in the near future.

The migration will be completed by 31 March 2019, after which date any messages sent to a .gsi address will not be delivered.

We have already pro-actively emailed all of the relevant organisations on our MPs’ Hotline List, and several of the addresses have already bounced. We will update each address as we receive confirmation of the changes.