MPs should remain staff employers, Commons committee says

MPs should continue to be their staff's employers, a report has concluded, despite calls for a major overall of working conditions in Parliament.

A Commons committee has set out recommendations for the working arrangements of MPs' staff.

It follows a series of harassment and misconduct allegations against MPs.

There have been calls for a change in culture, with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle forming a committee to look into HR practices.

The committee, called the Speaker's Conference, was established last year to consider how Parliament could be more a more "inclusive and respectful working environment". It reported its recommendations on Thursday.

Some suggested that staff should be employed centrally so they can raise concerns with someone other than their MP.

But the committee of MPs, led by Sir Lindsay, decided against this.

Their report concluded that challenges faced by staff "are not inherently related to the identity of the employer" and would not be resolved by a change in employer.

"Contractual change is a costly and time-consuming exercise - and is ultimately a blunt instrument," the report said.

"We conclude that the nature of the work of an MP, and the close working arrangements and personal loyalty between members and their staff, mean that members should continue to be the employers of their staff."

The committee also recommended that staff salaries should no longer be presented as MPs' expenses.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) should make changes to the way staff salaries were reported, "recognising their value as professionals, rather than describing them as a cost or expense", it added.

"The public perception that staff salaries and office costs are personal expenses of members demeans the role played by members' staff."

The fear of being seen to be claiming more expenses had prevented some MPs from giving their employees pay rises, the report said.

It also recommended that a mechanism be created to resolve workplace disputes with MPs, and that staff should have access to support and guidance from HR professionals.

The advice will be debated in the Commons in the autumn, in the hope that some of the steps are implemented ahead of the next general election, widely expected next year.

"This report sets out a comprehensive package of practical measures which offers substantial, meaningful, and deliverable change for members' staff," Sir Lindsay said.

"The recommendations will put in place a framework for the provision of access to health and well-being services, professional HR support and respect for members' staff as valued members of the parliamentary community - all of which are long overdue."

The GMB union, which represents many parliamentary workers, welcomed some of the recommendations including those on salaries, but said the report left "serious issues" unresolved.

"Until we bring our structures of employment into line with other workplaces, MPs' staff will not have adequate protection from the abuses of power that are far too prevalent," said Jenny Symmons, chairwoman of the GMB branch for MPs' staff.