The recent announcements about cyber campaigns against the Electoral Commission and MPs from Deputy PM Oliver Dowden have been widely reported, and should concern everyone in Parliament.
There is an extensive guide to cyber security on ParliNet, and we suggest reviewing the guidance there and ensuring that your office and personal systems are properly secured.
The new online system for registering MPs’ Interests went live on Tuesday 19 March 2024.
In order for staff proxies to use the new service, the Member must first log in and set up the correct permissions for them.
To find out more, please see here: https://parlinet.parliament.uk/information-resources/news-newsletters-notices/news/2023/october/new-registration-of-interests-system/
or drop in at one of the information stalls or virtual sessions: https://parlinet.parliament.uk/information-resources/news-newsletters-notices/news/2023/november/register-of-interests-stalls-in-portcullis-house/
You can find the FAQs here: https://parlinet.parliament.uk/information-resources/programmes/transforming-digital-programme/new-register-of-members-interests-system—frequently-asked-questions/
Join the Vote Office to learn more about its role in Parliament and develop your understanding of parliamentary business papers, publications and government reports.
There are three online sessions covering different aspect of the Vote Office’s work. Each session lasts for thirty minutes.
Introduction to the Vote Office: Monday 25 March 2024 at 1-1.30pm
Vote Office Papers: an Introduction: Tuesday 26 March 2024 at 1-1.30pm
Accessing Publications: Select Committee reports and Government publications: Wednesday 27 March 2024 at 1-1.30pm
Please follow the link for booking details.
Did you know that the Members’ Services Team runs discussion forums on Teams for Caseworkers and those who have a management role in an MP’s office?
The Members’ Office Management Forum has a weekly meeting at 11:00 every Wednesday which is full of useful information and gives the opportunity to raise queries with representatives from the Parliamentary Digital Service, the Parliamentary Security Department, the Human Resources team, the House of Commons Library, the Vote Office and more. There are weekly guest speakers, including regular visits from IPSA. It also has a text chat facility for when you have quick questions to ask.
The Caseworker Discussion Forum hosts a monthly All-Staff Q&A which you can sign up for on ACT, and the text chat is always active.
If you would like to be added to either (or both) of these forums, please email MST@parliament.uk from your parliamentary network account, stating which MP you work for and your role in the office.
This short online course is designed to give learners an overview of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
To find out more and enrol, please go here: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1344
IPSA has published the salary ranges for 2024-2025 and they can be found here: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/pay-and-benefits
London area: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/pay-and-benefits#mps-staff-pay-ranges-2024-25-london-area
Non-London area: https://www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/pay-and-benefits#mps-staff-pay-ranges-2024-25-non-london-area
Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: Thursday 21 March 2024
Location: Virtual via Microsoft Teams
The March 2024 forum will be on the topic of Local government finance for caseworkers. We will be joined by Mark Sandford from the Library’s Parliament and Constitution Centre and Phil Brien from our Economic Policy and Statistics Section.
To book, click here: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/signup.php?s=16640
The Education and Engagement Service (EES) will be hosting its next residential UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador Programme 1-3 July 2024.
This programme offers a unique three-day course where teachers get to experience the workings of Parliament first-hand before returning to their classrooms to build their students’ understanding and increase their engagement with UK Parliament.
The EES will cover the cost of transport, accommodation, and most meals for teachers taking part and we welcome applications from teachers, school/college leaders and teacher training providers working with young people aged 5-18.
Throughout the three days, the teachers will get to experience:
• Q&A sessions with the Speaker, Lord Speaker, and Members of both Houses
• Talks from subject specialists
• Workshops devoted to key aspects of the work of UK Parliament
• Opportunities to explore new and exciting teaching ideas
• Tours of the Palace of Westminster and the Parliamentary Education Centre
In 2023, 100% of the teachers who attended rated the course as excellent, and 100% of the teachers left saying they felt confident teaching about UK Parliament as a result of the programme. One attendee shared: “It has been the most amazing course I’ve been on. I’ve found it has really fired my passion again. It has given me real and practical ideas I can take back to school.”
All interested educators, schools, colleges and teachers of all phases and school/college leaders are encouraged to apply.
Application forms are available online at UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador Programme and the closing date is Sunday 24 March 2024.
Please note that the course is often over-subscribed so teachers will be accepted based on their answers to the application questions.
If you or teachers in your constituency would like more information, please contact us at teachertraining@parliament.uk
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.
Welcome to Parliament.
The new joiner induction sessions are now available to book via the ACT portal if you have a new joiner in your office, please share with them.
This session will welcome you to being part of the Parliamentary community and cover essential information from key House services that will help you to settle in and get off to a good start in your new role.
If you have not yet obtained your parliamentary network access and would like to book, please contact MST@parliament.uk
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Date: 9 May 2024
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=3240
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Date: 4 June 2024
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=3240