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Post–Election Services House of Commons Administration Committee Post–Election Services First Report of Session 2005–06 Report, together with formal minutes, and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 13th December 2005 HC 777 Published on 9th January 2006 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £14.50 The Administration Committee The Administration Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to consider the services provided for and by the House and to make recommendations thereon to the House of Commons Commission or to the Speaker. Current membership Mr Frank Doran MP (Labour, Aberdeen North) (Chairman) Mr Bob Ainsworth MP (Labour, Coventry North East) Janet Anderson MP (Labour, Rossendale & Darwen) Derek Conway MP (Conservative, Old Bexley & Sidcup) Frank Dobson MP (Labour, Holborn & St Pancras) Mr Brian H Donohoe MP (Labour, Central Ayrshire) Mr Eric Forth MP (Conservative, Bromley & Chiselhurst) Mr Neil Gerrard MP (Labour, Walthamstow) Mr Mark Harper MP (Conservative, Forest of Dean) Helen Jones MP (Labour, Warrington North) Mr Kevan Jones MP (Labour, Durham North) David Lepper MP (Labour/Co-operative, Brighton Pavilion) Peter Luff MP (Conservative, Mid Worcestershire) Mr Andrew Robathan MP (Conservative, Blaby) John Thurso MP (Liberal Democrat, Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross) Pete Wishart MP (Scottish National, Perth & North Perthshire) The following Member was also a Member of the Committee during the inquiry: Mr Patrick McLoughlin MP (Conservative, West Derbyshire) Powers The powers of the committee are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 139. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet and can be accessed via www.parliament.uk/ac Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Steven Mark and Nerys Welfoot (Clerks), Ameet Chudasama (Chief Office Clerk) and Jane Lauder (Secretary). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Administration Committee, Committee Office (Palace of Westminster), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 2471; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] Administration Committee: Post-election services 1 Contents Report Page Summary 3 1 Introduction 5 2 Services for new and returning Members 7 Accommodation 7 Allocation of permanent offices 7 Temporary accommodation for Members awaiting an office 8 Temporary offices? 10 Information and Communications Technology 10 Reception facilities and services 11 3 Services for former Members 13 Clearing offices on the Parliamentary Estate 14 Concluding parliamentary business 16 Financial administration 17 Redundancy support and careers advice for Members’ staff 19 Former Members’ access in the longer term 19 4 Conclusion 22 Conclusions and recommendations 23 Annex: Transcript of informal discussions 26 Formal Minutes 49 List of written evidence 50 Administration Committee: Post-election services 3 Summary This Report examines how the House of Commons Service responded to the challenges posed by the change of membership that took place after the general election of May 2005, including the consequent accommodation moves and turnover of Members’ staff. We concentrate on those areas where there is need for improvement, in particular i. practical provision for new Members, mainly accommodation and related facilities such as computers (see section 2); and ii. provision for former Members who stood at the general election and lost their seats (see section 3). We recommend a target timescale (one month) within which new Members should be provided with permanent fully fitted office accommodation. We also make recommendations for more temporary office accommodation and the provision of wireless internet access. It is the task of the House Administration to assist those Members who lose their seats at a general election to carry out the necessary business of ceasing to be a Member as sensitively, quickly and painlessly as possible. This did not always happen. Members who lose their seats have to clear their offices on the Parliamentary Estate, conclude parliamentary business including constituency casework, and deal not only with their own changed career circumstances, but also those of their staff. We make recommendations for how systems could be improved in each of these areas. We also recommend that consideration should be given to granting all former Members eligibility for a parliamentary pass in recognition of their service. Finally, we recommend that election- time guidance for Members and instructions for House staff should be made available well in advance of any future general election. Administration Committee: Post-election services 5 1 Introduction 1. When Parliament was dissolved on 11 April 2005, 86 Members had announced that they were standing down. On 5 May, 50 Members lost their seats, and 123 new Members were elected.1 Following the election 178 existing Members who had served in the previous Parliament moved office, and Members (returned and new) employed 565 new members of staff. This change of membership, accommodation and personnel is a major logistical and administrative challenge for the House Service. This report examines how they responded to this challenge and recommends a number of changes, to be implemented well before the next election. 2. During our inquiry we invited written evidence from all former Members who left the House in 2005, and from all current Members. We particularly encouraged evidence from new Members. We received responses from 22 former Members, eight new Members and seven other Members. We also received written evidence from the House Administration, including an analysis of the results of a survey of the views of new Members on the services provided for them after the general election. Having analysed these submissions, we held discussions with a selection of new Members and former Members, and with officials from the House Administration. We are grateful to all those who have assisted us in our inquiry. 3. This report concentrates on those areas where there is need for improvement, but it would be wrong not also to reflect the appreciative comments that have been received from current and former Members from both sides of the House. The following are a selection of the comments we have received, from former Members who retired… I have nothing but praise for the House of Commons officials.2 The staff and arrangements were ideal … I genuinely cannot think of any other arrangements, which it would be reasonable to ask Parliament to make, for retiring MPs.3 … and from new Members: All the staff were very, very helpful indeed and did an excellent job of helping and explaining each step of the way.4 Overall I was very impressed with the services offered immediately following the 2005 General election.5 1 There were 13 fewer seats in the 2005 Parliament, following a reduction in the number of Scottish constituencies. 2 Ev 9 (Ross Cranston) 3 Ev 15 (Sir Teddy Taylor) 4 Ev 1 (Adam Afriyie) 5 Ev 1 (Mr Robert Flello) 6 Administration Committee: Post-election services 4. In addition, we should note that 84 per cent of the new Members who responded to the survey conducted by the House Administration stated that they were satisfied with the reception facilities and services provided for them.6 5. The more negative comments that we have received need to be seen in the context of these plaudits. The majority of the complaints received relate to two specific areas of service: i. practical provision for new Members, mainly accommodation and related facilities such as computers; and ii. provision for former Members who stood at the general election and lost their seats. 6. This report concentrates on these areas in particular. 6 Ev 18, paragraph 4 Administration Committee: Post-election services 7 2 Services for new and returning Members 7. This section of the Report deals in turn with the two main issues raised by new and returning Members: provision of accommodation and associated facilities on the Parliamentary Estate; and provision of the technology necessary to allow Members to carry out their parliamentary duties. We also consider the reception facilities and services provided for new Members. Accommodation 8. Accommodation was among the main issues raised with us by new Members. The following are typical of the comments that we received: Sort out the offices quickly. If the army can achieve it within 24 hours, then I’m sure Parliament can sort it out within 72.7 The lack of an office for several weeks was intolerable and meant that I had to spend weekends attending to post etc.8 The slow allocation of offices was immensely discourteous and disruptive.9 Allocation of permanent offices 9. Accommodation is allocated to individual Members by the relevant party whips. The House Administration is responsible for providing temporary accommodation for new Members and for administering the office moves. 10. Following a general election the allocation of some offices is likely to be held up by a shift in the balance of the parties in the House, which may require renegotiation of the accommodation available to each party. In addition, ministerial and shadow cabinet changes will affect the allocation. In this case, the majority of ministerial appointments had been made by the week of Monday 16 May. 11. Seventy per cent of those Members leaving the House in 2005 stood down at the election. Many of these will have been longer serving Members occupying some of the more sought after accommodation. Normally after an election this accommodation will be allocated to longer serving Members rather than to those new to the House. As the Serjeant at Arms has pointed out, “it is only after the needs of Ministers and longer serving 7 Ev 1 (Adam Afriyie) 8 Ev 1 (Mr Robert Goodwill) 9 Ev 2 (Nia Griffith) 8 Administration Committee: Post-election services Members are taken into account that the accommodation available for the Whips to allocate to new Members becomes clear”.10 12.
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