New home for the hotlines list

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We wanted to let you know about the new home for the w4mp hotlines list!

We have worked closely with MST to adapt the hotlines list, following feedback on its storage on SharePoint. This version of the w4mp hotlines list returns to you being able to copy and paste information, as well as being able to find information using CTRL+F, so we hope you find it useful! However, please give us any feedback on how you find it, as we are always looking for ways to improve it!

If you didn’t know, the w4mp hotlines list is a great resource for caseworkers who are looking for contact details for different organisations, government departments, companies etc. when supporting their constituents. It not only has helplines that their constituents can use, but also emails and phone numbers that give MPs’ staff a more direct contact link to these organisations, which can make supporting constituents queries a lot easier. It is regularly updated and this new w4mp hotlines list is essentially a live document, so you know that it will always have the latest known contact details. You can see a list of the latest updates here: https://w4mp.org/hotline-numbers-for-mps-meps-msps-ams-and-their-staff/

If you have any questions or feedback, let us know. Otherwise, we hope you like the new home of the w4mp hotlines list!

Please note that the list is available only to people who have parliamentary network accounts. We are not able to share the list with people who are not on the network.

Dissolution Guidance – South West briefing for Members’ offices

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Members’ offices are offered an opportunity to join an in-person briefing in Bristol with representatives of relevant services from across the House Administration and IPSA to find out more about the Dissolution Guidance and ask any questions they may have. 

To register to attend, please email MST@parliament.uk

Paper Trail: new weekly Vote Office bulletin

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The Vote Office’s Publications Enquiries Team has launched a new weekly bulletin summarising all reports and papers published and available in the Vote Office.

Paper Trail features links to the week’s bills, government papers, select committee and NAO reports.

Paper Trail is available on ParliNET as well as in hard copy from the Vote Office outlets in Portcullis House and the Palace.

You can find Paper Trail here: ParliNet | Paper Trail (parliament.uk)

Copyright Infringement

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If your office receives a ‘copyright infringement notice’, please inform Tara Cullen in the Members’ Services Team immediately, and do not respond to the notice until you have discussed it with her.

MST is aware that there are also some scams going around at the moment, and it’s important to get them checked out. No genuine organisation will ask for payment in cryptocurrency. All scams and phishing attempts should be reported to PDS.

It’s very easy to find pictures on the Internet and copy them to use on your own website. However, in doing so, you could easily be infringing copyright, and the owner might seek compensation.

Paul Clarke has written a useful guide especially for w4mp on publishing pictures and avoiding rights issues, which you can find here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/support-in-your-job/publishing-pictures-and-avoiding-rights-issues/

Behind the Scenes with the Official Report

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During the Easter recess, the Official Report (Hansard) is offering Members’ staff an opportunity to learn how parliamentary proceedings are edited in the Official Report

Spend an hour and a half with us and find out:

  • How Hansard reporters and editors publish MPs’ speeches
  • Which debates are read the most by constituents and how to share parliamentary contributions online
  • Who to contact with queries about the Official Report and where to read speeches before publication

We finish with a tour of the Hansard offices and the Press Gallery.

We will be holding sessions on the parliamentary estate during the Easter recess on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 April.

We welcome all Members’ staff and any questions they may have!

For more information, to book a place or to join our mailing list for future sessions, please reply to this email or contact hansardoutreach@parliament.uk

Financial Year End – 2023-2024

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It’s that time of year, when IPSA Proxies lock themselves in their offices, set their phones to ‘do not disturb’ and bury their heads in spreadsheets. Yes, it’s year end! But don’t worry, IPSA has made things much simpler and, assuming you’ve been reasonably well-organised, sorting out your year-end documentation shouldn’t be too stressful.

Don’t put it off until the last minute, do it now, then if you have any queries, you have time to sort them out.

Key dates:

  • You must submit your year-end form by 23:59 on Friday 19 April 2024.
  • You must have all your payment card lines reconciled by 23:59 on 26 April 2024.
  • You must submit all the evidence for the reimbursement claims listed on your year-end form by 23:59 on Friday 10 May 2024.

You no longer need to submit a year-end for payroll.

It’s a good idea to log into the website regularly to check that there are no tasks outstanding in your task manager.

You can find all of IPSA’s year-end guidance here: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/year-end-2023-24 and the staff are really helpful and patient, so give them a call if you’re stuck or unsure about anything.

Already submitted everything? Great! Go and get a brew, then sit down and prepare your paperwork for 2024-2025. Why not make a list of your regular outgoings and work out a forecast, which you can update as you go along throughout the year? You could set up a simple spreadsheet to do this, and then you will always know the current state of your budget and can adjust your spending accordingly.