Committee publishes report on Members and Members' staff interview project
10 June 2014
Pilot study: Members and Members’ Staff Interview Project
In May 2012 the Administration Committee recommended to the House of Commons Management Board that it replace the annual survey of Members and Members' Staff with a detailed series of interviews. These interviews took place in 2013/14. On 12 May 2014, the Committee endorsed this approach and agreed that smaller-scale interviews take place in 2014/15 focusing on women’s experience in Parliament and capturing the experience of MPs standing down.
Research:
In total 38 MPs, 27 Westminster-based MPs’ staff and 49 constituency-based MPs’ staff were interviewed, between March 2013 and February 2014. In addition, six focus groups were held with Members’ staff based in Westminster. Interviews and analyses were conducted by House staff who volunteered to carry out the research. Participants were invited to discuss those areas of most importance to them, or those where they had strong praise or criticism, and were not asked to discuss every service. As such, the lack of data on some services cannot be taken to mean that they are functioning well or badly.
The full report can be viewed here:
The next full set of interviews should take place in 2015/16.
Chair of the Administration Committee, Rt Hon. Sir Alan Haselhurst MP, said:
“The Committee is grateful to the House Service for implementing its recommendation to discontinue the Members Survey for a more cost-effective and informative method of understanding the changing role of MPs and their staff, whilst evaluating the House Service’s capacity to meet these needs. The Committee recognises the valuable contributions of the House Service and would like to thank all staff for their dedication and hard-work. We would be unable to carry out our parliamentary work without their support.
This report is a valuable learning tool both for the Committee and the House Service. The Committee welcomes the House’s prompt response to addressing positively the needs highlighted in the report by the development of Departmental action plans. We look forward to working with the House Service over the coming year to implement these recommendations which will help us to serve better our constituents in Westminster and our constituencies.”
Commenting on the research, Clerk of the House and Chief Executive Sir Robert Rogers said:
“I am very grateful to the Administration Committee and to all the House staff involved in this project for producing this very useful report. I know that the staff involved in conducting this research have gained a better understanding of the changing nature of Members' work in Westminster and their constituencies. I am delighted to hear that, in general, Members and their staff value highly the services provided by the House administration and this reflects the hard work of staff at all levels. However, the report sets out a range of areas where we can improve our service and describes some behaviours which are not acceptable. We have already addressed many of those issues, as the report helpfully acknowledges, and we are committed to addressing the outstanding ones.
Each Department will be producing an action plan for the Committee and my office will make sure that those action plans form a coherent whole. The survey and report are a very useful step in helping us to ensure that as a modern organisation we continue to grow and adapt to the changing needs of Members, their staff and constituents."