Paper from Transport and General Workers
Union
As you will already be aware, this branch of
the TGWU currently has over 300 members who are employed by Members
of Parliament both in the Palace of Westminster and across the
country. We currently have members employed by MPs from Labour,
the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party
and Plaid Cymru.
Our members carry out a variety of roles for
their employers, from undertaking political research, liaising
with constituents, interest groups and the media and dealing with
constituency casework to providing the essential administrative
and clerical support needed to ensure that our employers can effectively
carry out their role as Members of Parliament. We are more often
than not the first point of contact between constituents and Members.
We feel that the skills and experience of our members can, therefore,
play an important role in the modernisation of the House of Commons
in general, and in engaging voters in particular.
In addition to completing the Committee's questionnaire,
we have also detailed several additional points that we feel may
aid your inquiry. We would, of course, be delighted to be able
to answer any further questions you or your committee may have
on this matter.
TRANSPORT AND
GENERAL WORKERS'
UNION PARLIAMENTARY
BRANCH
Additional information
The standard of Parliamentary publication is
high, and the information contained in them is sufficiently clear.
It is the case, however, that the main means by which the public
can access these materials is through the parliamentary website,
which remains poorly laid out and difficult to navigate for the
majority of voters without an in-depth knowledge of our particular
parliamentary system.
We agree that procedures should be put in place
to allow Early Day Motions to be debated in the House of Commons.
We would be concerned, however, if this was at the expense of
the opportunity for Members to debate matters of specific local
concern.
While we agree that petitions should be referred
to Select Committees for consideration, we believe that this Parliament
should adopt the good practice which already exists in the Scottish
Parliament for dealing with public petitions.
The Scottish Parliament's website states that:
— The Scottish Parliament's Public
Petitions Committee is a gateway for public involvement in the
parliamentary process. There are no restrictions on who can submit
a petition.
— A petition can make a request for
the Parliament to:
— take a view on a matter of public
interest or concern; or
— amend existing legislation or
introduce new legislation.
Such a model would provide a reliable, proven
basis for developing such a scheme at Westminster.
We would welcome the provision of tours of the
Palace at weekends. In order to effectively manage the additional
cost of such services, it may be beneficial to operate a two-tier
system for tours, whereby constituents on an officially organised
tour are charged on a different basis from visitors who purchase
admission tickets on a private basis.
We would support the creation of a comprehensive
visitors' centre at Westminster. Such a centre should not, however,
interfere with the day to day business of Parliament.
There are a number of measures that could be
adopted to ensure that constituents have easier access to the
building.
Cost is a hugely prohibitive factor which prevents
constituents and constituent groups from accessing Parliament.
If our "greatest test" is to re-engage the public, we
should be prepared to accept the full financial and organisational
costs of these activities.
Parliament could employ a number of measures
to aid this process, including:
MP Allowance for visiting groups
Members could be given an allowance, administered
by the House, which could be used by groups and organisations
such as schools and colleges in the constituency to fund visits
to Parliament. Such an allowance should take into account the
substantial differences in cost of travelling to London from different
parts of the British Isles.
Extending Education Unit
Parliament's Education Unit currently provides
a highly professional and valued service for Members and various
Educational groups. It is the case, however, that with only five
full-time and one part-time members of staff, the service is not
sufficiently resourced to meet the current demand for their services.
This situation will be exacerbated if the Committee's aims are
met. With additional resources, the Education Unit could undertake
many tasks it is currently unable to perform, such as:
— Undertake a comprehensive outreach
programme in schools. No member of staff in the Education Unit
has visited any school in Scotland in the past 12 months.
— Produce educational materials for
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, taking into account the
different constitutional arrangements in these parts of the UK.
Parliament and Members in particular have the
potential to make far more effective use of modern technology,
especially the Internet, in order to communicate more effectively
with their constituents.
While the IT provision for members and staff
includes computer hardware and a wide variety of software for
word processing, email, etc, there is currently no provision of
web authoring software from House authorities. If it is accepted
that MPs need to make better use of the Internet, Parliament should
aid this process through the provision of the necessary materials
and support.
In addition, the possibility of hosting Members'
websites on the parliamentary site should be examined.
Members of Parliament and their staff work as
a team to connect with their constituents. Members' staff are
almost always the first point of contact for constituents and
members of the public, and are involved in the front-line of provision
of services.
While we commend the professionalism and skill
shown by Members' staff in carrying out their duties, it is important
that measures are put in place to ensure that the full potential
of Members' staff are realised as part of this modernisation process.
Well paid, well trained and well supported staff
are far more likely to play a positive role in communicating with
the public on behalf of MPs than under-paid, inadequately trained
and unsupported staff.
January 2004
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