General Election Planning and Services responses published
2 February 2018
The Administration Committee publishes the House of Commons Commission's and Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) Responses to its Report on General Election Planning and Services.
Successful recommendations
The responses detail many of the Committee's recommendations which were successfully incorporated into the work on the 2017 General Election, including:
- Improved written guidance on IPSA's systems and rules as well as refresher training for new Members of Parliament after the immediate post-Election period.
- Allowing parliamentary email accounts of Members standing at the election and their staff to remain open.
- Further reducing the volume of information given to Members on Election Day to key essential and time-critical information.
- Extending the already successful buddying scheme to include offering formal assistance to new staff of Members, including those based in constituency offices.
Progress on recommendations
Later in 2018, the Committee will consider the progress on those recommendations which it was not possible to incorporate into the arrangements for the 2017 Election, including:
- Introducing rolling reviews of the guidance for Members and their staff on permissible activities during the dissolution period to avoid last-minute changes before elections.
- Developing better digital tools and online resources which Members can access as needed to compliment the New Members' Reception Area and help orientate themselves on the Parliamentary Estate.
- Enabling Members to use all of their ICT equipment budget provided by IPSA and their Parliamentary Digital Service equipment allowance where there are sufficient funds available across both accounts.
Further information
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