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Guides & good practice

Page last updated: 8 June 2006

Here you will find guides, documents and other useful material.  We are continuing to stock our library and we welcome suggestions for new material. Some guides are written by us or other staff working for MPs and some originate from various House Departments. You can, however, still find everything that was on the old site by visiting the archive.

We have recently re-bundled our existing guides into 5 new categories and added a number of practical items which have appeared earlier on our Essential New Information page.  Just click on the category you want to see the complete list.  You'll find the latest item added at the top of each list.  Here they are:

1.      Your Job – survival tips;  [latest - 18 May 2006]

2.      Casework – essential tools;  [latest - 8 June 2006]

3.      Your office – vital skills;  [latest - 12 April 2006]

4.      Research – crucial kit;  [latest - 2 May 2006]

5.      Parliament – the knowledge.  [latest - 24 November 2005]

6.      Standard Notes – from the House of Commons Library  [latest - 27 February 2005]

1.                  Your Job – survival tips

·         i-uk - essential business/study/pleasure guide to the UK (added 18 May 2006)

·         Pay scales for MPs' Staff from 1 April 2006 (revised 7 April 2006)

·         Union membership for MPs' Staff (revised 10 February 2006)

·         Latest information on all training courses for MPs' Staff (revised 29 January 2006)  

·         Sports/Social Groups Staff can join (revised 25 January 2006)

·         Looking for a job (revised 5 January 2006)  

·         Finding accommodation (added 27 November 2005)  

·         Mouth cancer information sheet from OHSWS (added 24 November 2005)  

·         Surviving your first ten days working for an MP (revised 9 November 2005)  

·         Facilities for children in Westminster. (posted 2 September2005)  

·         Childcare vouchers for Members' Staff (updated 31 August 2005)  

·         FAQs about TGWU Parliamentary Branch (posted 24 August 2005)

·         Registering your interests - your obligations (added 15 July 2005)

·         Redundancy arrangements for Staff of MPs not returned (revised 12 May 2005)

·         Working for two MPs (added 10 May 2005)  

·         About to start working for an MP? All you need to know. (revised 28 April 2005)

·         Excellent new guide for MPs' Staff (updated 28 April 2005)

·         Frequently Asked Questions (fully revised and updated 25 April 2005)

·         Guardian article on what it's like to work for an MP (added 21 April 2005)

·         Internships (revised 12 April 2005)

·         Working from Home - guide for MPs' Staff (revised 15 March 2005)

·         Use the w4mp Noticeboard to sell/buy/advertise etc (added 17 January 2005)

·         Opening a bank account - guide for non-UK Interns/Students (added 3 Dec 2004)

·         Do you know what to do in an emergency? (posted 8 November 2004)

·         Ethical Internships (added 1 October 2004)

·         Do you need to register as self-employed? (added 1 September 2004)

·         Foreign nationals wishing to work for an MP (added 27 July 2004)

·         Finding a hotel near Parliament (revised December 2003)

2.                  Casework – essential tools

·        Immigration Advisory Service (added 8 June 2006)

·        Immigration Casework (revised 8 June 2006)

·        Hotline numbers for MPs, MEPs, MSPs, AMs and their staff (revised 4 May 2006)

·         "Members and Constituency Etiquette" - vital guide (revised 1 March 2006)

·         Should you be doing casework? (revised 27 February 2006)

·         Case management software information (revised 2 August 2005)

·         Guide to the Child Support Agency (added 28 January 2005)

·         UK Visas announce changes to UK immigration rules. (added 22 Dec 2004)

·         Immigration entry clearance statistics 2003/04 now available (added 25 Nov 2004)

·         List of waiting times for UK visa applications (added 5 October 2004)

·         The UKvisas (FCO & HO) website (posted 21 June 2004)

3.                  Your Office – vital skills

·        Staffing Allowance salaries ready reckoner (added 12 April 2006)

·        Public Bill Guides - preparing Public Bills and how they proceed (added 24 March 2006)

·        Protocol clarified on representing constituents (revised 1 March 2006)

·        What on earth is RSS? (posted 6 September 2005)

·        Access the Internet from an ordinary telephone! (posted 26 August 2005)

·        Housekeeping: tidying your email inbox (added 12 August 2005) 

·        Security in constituency offices - help with costs (added 21 July 2005) 

·        Suspicious packages (added 09 June 2005) 

·        Data Protection and MPs - essential information (revised 1 June 2005) 

·        Security Alerts - Important Information (added 18 May 2005) 

·        Services for constituency-based staff - revised May 2005 (PDF file) 

·        Services for Members' staff - revised March 2005 (PDF file) 

·        Tips and Hints of the Month - from PCD (last updated 5 April 2005)

·        Bulk emails - the DOs and DON'Ts (added 19 Jan 2005)

·        How to stop junk faxes, junk mail and unwanted sales calls (added 12 Jan 2005)

·        Can't ring constituents who bar calls from withheld numbers? (added 3 Jan 2005)

·        Keep up to speed with breaking news (added 17 December 2004)

·         Google Desktop - simple new search tool for your computer (added 16 Dec 2004)

·         Freedom of Information Act goes live in January - details (added 30 Nov 2004)

·         Email etiquette (added 15 October 2004)

·         Online stationery ordering (posted 18 August 2004)

·         Article on using MPs' blogs effectively (added 30 July 2004)

·         "Promotion of a Political Party" - Info. Commissioner's guidance (added 7 Jun 2004)

·         Useful forms from Dept. Finance & Admin. (update: 27 April 2005; added 20 May 2004)

·         Clarification on proper use of Commons stationery (added 29 April 2004)

·         Managing an MP's Diary (added 23 March 2004)

·         Organising Events in the Constituency (added 9 March 2004)

·         The Members' Handbook - Fifth Edition (update: 28 April 2005; added 26 March 2004)

·         Handling Lobbyists (added 24 February 2004)

·         Handling the Media (added 14 February 2004)

·         Laptops security advice (added 26 February 2004)

·         Useful Resources for the Constituency Office - May 2003 (PDF file)

·         Setting Up the Office (last revised Nov 2003; from old website but still useful)

·         Everyday Tasks (last revised December 2003; from old website but still useful)

4.                  Research – crucial kit

·       Standard Notes from the Commons Library (2 May 2006)

·       "Using the Library" - new comprehensive guide and contacts info. (5 July 2005)

·       Parl'y Office of Science & Technology - POSTnotes (26 June 2005)

·       Useful Internet tools for staff (added 25 May 2005)

·         Topical Issues page on Library Intranet (updated 27 April 2005; added 31 August 2004)

·         New Statesman Trade Union Guide 2004 (added 08 October 2004)

·         YouGov website - "UK's most accurate pollster" (added 29 September 2004)

·         Politics-related websites - Keele University links (added 10 August 2004)

·         DodOnline's new website (added 07 July 2004)

·         Parliamentary Current Awareness Service (added 26 March 2004)

·         Staff Guide to the Council of Europe (added 25 March 2004)

·         Writing a speech (added 12 February 2004)

·         Sources of Information (last revised Dec 2003; from old website but still useful)

5.                  Parliament – the knowledge

·       PCD's new Service Catalogue (added 24 November 2005)

·       PoW Telephone Directory - latest version (revised 21 October 2005)

·       Which Minister is responsible for what? (revised 21 October 2005)

·       Gallery tickets - new procedure for ordering (added 29 September 2005)

·       The Travel Office - the services it provides (updated 14 September 2005)

·       Parliamentary jargon buster (posted 6 July 2005)

·       Public Bills before Parliament (posted 25 June 2005)

·       New Private Members' Bills (posted 23 June 2005)

·       "Clerks and other perks" - what the Clerks do. (posted 7 June 2005)

·       "How the place works" - Parliamentary Procedures (updated 6 June 2005)

·       Full list of MPs after the 2005 General Election. (posted 9 May 2005)

·       Members' Handbook - new 2005 Edition (added 6 May 2005)

·       Updated Parliamentary Private Secretary list (added 30 Sept 04; updated 26 April 2005)

·       Maps of the Parliamentary Estate (revised 25 April 2005)

·       What happens during a Dissolution of Parliament (revised 5 April 2005)

·       Online Parliamentary Archives catalogue (added: 29 March 2005)

·       HoC Library "How to...." guides (added 16 March 2005)

·       "TheyWorkForYou.com" website (latest update 25 February 2005)

·         What happens to unanswered PQs, now Parliament's in new session? (added 9 Dec 2004)

·         Watch Parliamentary proceedings on the Internet (added 02 December 2004)

·         Leader of the House of Commons - new website (added 26 Nov 2004)

·         “You and Your MP” factsheets now available in 16 languages (added 22 Nov 2004)

·         What is "Prorogation"? (added 05 November 2004)

·         Members' Allowance Expenditure details now published (added 21 October 2004)

·         House of Lords Newsfeed (added 21 September 2004)

·         What is Impeachment?  (added 27 August 2004)

·         New Intranet facility: "Today's Meetings" (added 08 September 2004)

·         Early Day Motions procedure (added 17 June 2004)

·         Business of the House and its Committees: a short guide Jan 2003 (added 26 April 2004)

·         Parliamentary Tours - the script (added 13 April 2004)

·         Petitioning 10 Downing Street (added 12 March 2004)

·         Understanding the Parliamentary Stages of a Government Bill (added 4 March 2004)

·         House of Commons Departments (revised Nov 2003; from old website but still useful)

You can also

• Look for guides  on the old site

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