Welcome pack for new staff 2013: Clerk of the House

New staff of MPs are directed to a welcome portal on the parliamentary intranet. It is full of useful information and links, including an introductory letter from David Natzler, Clerk of the House of Commons.

If you are new and haven’t yet set up your parliamentary email you won’t have access to the intranet.   Our strong advice is to make this a priority.  Of course, W4MP is a wonderful resource but your first few weeks will become even better once you can access all the information and advice on the intranet.

Here’s the letter from Sir Robert Rogers.  The links shown are not live here but they are on the intranet version.

I am writing to introduce you to the House of Commons Service.

The House Service are the permanent servants of the House (we are not civil servants) and we are rigidly politically impartial. We provide Members’ staff with a number of services, information about which you can find in the various areas of the portal for new Members’ staff.

On the following pages you will find:

  • A link to the Members’ Staff Handbook, which is a comprehensive guide to our services and facilities
  • Details about training services, including Learning and Development, who provide training for Members’ staff; the House of Commons Library;
  • Parliamentary Digital Service; and fire awareness training
  • Details of the unions available to you
  • Information from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which is responsible for the budgets from which your Member pays you
  • An introduction to the departments of the House of Commons
    Guidance regarding the Parliamentary Estate, including how many visitors you can bring in and what events are happening
  • Resources available to staff based in the constituency.

The House offers an extensive training programme for Members’ staff. Do discuss your training needs with your Member, and identify and attend the most appropriate courses.

Please note that you should raise any employment issues with your Member in the first instance – the House Service cannot give you specific advice.  The Member you work for is your employer, not the House Service.

If you have any queries about the House Service, please contact my office on 020 7219 3759..

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The item mentioned first by the Clerk is W4MP’s own Guide to Working for an MP. Written in 2010, it is no longer available in hardcopy but you can see an online version here.

There is also a version of the House of Commons “Members’ Handbook” (November 2011), which includes maps, available on the intranet. It is here in PDF form.