House of Commons Commission bulletin – 7 April 2014
8 April 2014
Postage
The Members Estimate Committee agreed to increase the annual allowance for Members’ stationery and postage-paid envelopes from £8,650 to £9,000 to offset the recent increases in Royal Mail postage charges. This will be reflected in a new ‘concordance’ of resolutions relating to expenditure charged to the Members Estimate, which will be published on 10 April.
Support for Members’ staff
The Members Estimate Committee agreed to subscribe to an independent Employee Assistance Programme on behalf of Members’ staff. Details are available on the parliamentary intranet. The Committee also decided that, following the general election, advice on employment matters should be proactively offered to new Members.
General Election preparations
The Commission was briefed on the House Service’s preparations for the forthcoming general election, and approved the draft dissolution guidance. This work builds on the recommendations of the Administration Committee in its report, First weeks at Westminster: induction arrangements for new MPs in 2015. The dissolution guidance will be published on the parliamentary intranet at the end of April.
Employment Matters
The Commission welcomed that the House had achieved its milestones for full accreditation by Citizens UK as a London Living Wage Employer. The Commission also noted that a three-year pay settlement had been reached with the main group of House staff.Corporate Business Plan
The Commission approved the House Service’s Corporate Business Plan 2014/15–2016/17. This will be published on the parliamentary intranet shortly.Further information
Observations on matters in the bulletin or other aspects of the House’s administration should be sent to twiggerrj@parliament.uk for the attention of the Commission.