MP Work Experience & Internship Guidance

The request was successful.

Dear House of Commons,

Please provide me with the following:

1) Copy of House of Commons Management Guidance – Working with Young People
2) Work Experience Guidance note (pdf) from the Human Resources Department
3)Guidance for supervising new or young workers
4) Any other House of Commons Guidance on Work Expirence
4) Any other House of Commons Guidance on MP's Interns

Yours faithfully,

Kacey Montagu

FOI Commons, House of Commons

Dear Kacey Montagu,

 

Freedom of Information request F21-328

 

Thank you for your request for information dated 14 July 2021, received by
us on the same date, which is copied below.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case
within 20 working days i.e. on or before 11 August 2021.

 

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number
quoted above and in the subject line of this email.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

We will work hard to answer your information rights requests during the
current COVID 19 situation in line with statutory requirements, however
some requests may be affected by access to collections and availability of
staff. We will keep you informed of any identified delays in answering
your request.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Sarah Price

IRIS Support Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons

 

[1]www.parliament.uk | [2]@ukparliament | [3]@houseofcommons

[4]House of Commons Privacy Notice for the Public

[5]Supporting a thriving parliamentary democracy

 

 

 

From: Kacey Montagu <[FOI #773869 email]>
Sent: 14 July 2021 10:46
To: FOI Commons <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - MP Work Experience & Internship
Guidance

 

Dear House of Commons,

Please provide me with the following:

1) Copy of House of Commons Management Guidance – Working with Young
People

2) Work Experience Guidance note (pdf) from the Human Resources Department

3)Guidance for supervising new or young workers

4) Any other House of Commons Guidance on Work Expirence

4) Any other House of Commons Guidance on MP's Interns

Yours faithfully,

Kacey Montagu

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[6][FOI #773869 email]

Is [7][House of Commons request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to House of Commons? If so, please contact us using
this form:

[8]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[9]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[10]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Commons,

Ref: F21-328

I am writing to remind you that today, 11 August 2021, is the date a response is required for my request. Please indicate if this is delayed.

Yours sincerely,

Kacey Montagu

FOI Commons, House of Commons

9 Attachments

Dear Kacey Montagu,

 

 

Freedom of Information Request F21-328

 

Thank you for your request for information as copied below. You have asked
five questions about guidance relating to employing young people, work
experience and interns in the House of Commons, which we have sought to
answer below.

 

In the first instance please note that while the House of Commons and the
House of Lords are two separate public authorities for the purposes of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), some information in this response
covers both Houses of Parliament. This is because the Parliamentary Safety
Team, which is responsible providing guidance relating to health and
safety, is a bicameral team. Therefore, any information on this topic
covers both Houses (this is indicated in the response below where
appropriate).

 

 1. Copy of House of Commons Management Guidance – Working with Young
People

 

This information is held by the House of Commons. The latest version of
this guidance is attached to this response. It is aimed at managers in the
House of Commons Administration.

 

Please note that the job titles and contact number of one individual
working for the House of Commons has been redacted from this guidance. We
have concluded that in the case of this individual, the disclosure of this
information would not be consistent with the data protection principle
found in Article 5.1(a) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK
GDPR). Accordingly, this information has been withheld in accordance with
section 40(2) FOIA.

 

 2. Work Experience Guidance note (pdf) from the Human Resources
Department

 

This information is held by the House of Commons. This guidance is
attached to this response. This guidance is aimed at Members of
Parliament.

 

 3. Guidance for supervising new or young workers

 

Like any large organisation recruiting a considerable number of new
employees each year, we hold information forming part of the process for
supervising new workers. As well as the People and Culture team (our
central Human Resources team) holding this information, each of the teams
in the House of Commons will hold their own for their own recruitment and
training purposes. There are 11 teams and each will hold separate and
unique information falling within this description. However, to provide
this information, we would have to undertake an extensive exercise to
identify, retrieve and collate it, including a search within all teams.
Assuming each of the 11 teams take at least four hours to undertake this
exercise, we estimate that it would take at least 44 hours to comply with
this part of your request.

 

Section 12 FOIA only requires the House of Commons to comply with a
request which would not exceed the appropriate limit of £600. This
represents the estimated cost of one person spending 24 working hours in
determining whether the House holds the information, and locating,
retrieving and extracting the information.

 

As your request exceeds this limit, it is refused. However, if you were to
make a new request for a narrower category of information, it may be that
we could comply, although we cannot guarantee that this will be the case.
For example, you could refine your request to ask for information only
about the supervision of young workers or information only held by the
People and Culture team.

 

 4. Any other House of Commons Guidance on Work Experience

 

This information is held by the House of Commons.

 

We hold several pieces of guidance relating to work experience, as listed
below. All guidance covers the House of Commons only, except for
information about safety or risk assessments, which covers both Houses of
Parliament. All guidance is aimed at managers and employees in the House
of Commons Administration, except for the Risk Assessment Form and
‘Security clearance for work experience students’, which is aimed at MPs.

 

o Local Work Experience Guidance – House of Commons
o Safety Essentials: Work Experience at Parliament
o Risk Assessment Form for Young Persons or Work Experience Students at
Work
o Security clearance for work experience students
o Other guidance contained on our intranet

 

Some information has been withheld from the guidance in accordance with
the exemptions in the FOIA. Further details of this are included below.

 

Section 40 – personal information

 

The name of an individual working for the House of Commons has been
redacted from the Local Work Experience Guidance and the first of the two
intranet passages attached. We have concluded that in the case of this
individual, the disclosure of this information would not be consistent
with the data protection principle found in Article 5.1(a) UK GDPR.
Accordingly, this information has been withheld in accordance with section
40(2) FOIA.

 

Section 31 – law enforcement

 

Some information about the circumstances in which security clearance is
required has been redacted on the basis that disclosure of it would
prejudice the prevention and detection of crime and also the apprehension
and prosecution of offenders. Therefore, this information is exempt by
virtue of section 31(1)(a) and (b) FOIA. This is a qualified exemption and
the public interest test applies.

 

We have considered our obligation to assist the public in understanding
how we ensure adequate security measures, including the vetting of
personnel who wish to access the parliamentary estate. However, these
obligations and legitimate interests are outweighed by the consequences of
disclosing the measures we have in place to prevent individuals with a
relevant criminal history from accessing the estate. This information may
help those with criminal intent to more easily circumvent our
procedures. Disclosure of such information would fail in our duty to
assist those services providing us with law enforcement services as it
would hinder their work in preventing and detecting crime.

 

In these circumstances it is our view that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the
information.

 

URLs of pages on the UK Parliament intranet have been redacted on the
basis that the disclosure of information about the structure of that site
would prejudice the prevention and detection of crime (including
cyber-crime) and also the apprehension and prosecution of offenders.
Therefore, this information is exempt by virtue of section 31(1)(a) and
(b) FOIA. This is a qualified exemption and the public interest test
applies.

 

We accept there is a legitimate public interest in what information is
being offered to both employees of the House of Commons Administration and
to Members of Parliament and how it is organised. However, this is
outweighed by the risks of criminal activity being undertaken if the
information was disclosed. The release of this information could provide
valuable information to those wishing to launch a cyber-attack against the
House of Commons. Knowledge of the structure of the UK Parliament intranet
would allow potential cyber-attackers to build up a picture of its shape
and size. It could provide those groups or individuals with an indication
of where to focus their efforts when targeting our systems. Groups
planning attacks are known to conduct extensive research and will take
advantage of the ‘mosaic effect’ by combining information from different
sources. If this information were to be combined with other information
already in the public domain or obtained from elsewhere, the disclosure of
it could assist in mounting an effort to breach or bypass cyber security
measures, with serious consequences.

 

In these circumstances it is our view that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the
information.

 

Section 24 – national security

 

The information about the circumstances in which security clearance is
required has been also been redacted for the purpose of safeguarding
national security. This information is therefore also exempt by virtue of
section 24(1) FOIA. This is a qualified exemption and the public interest
test applies.

 

There is a public interest in transparency in the vetting of persons
wishing to work on the parliamentary estate and reassuring the public that
our vetting procedures are suitably robust. However, the countervailing
argument is that the information can be used to test or even circumvent
our procedures. These procedures are in place to protect members of the
parliamentary community, including Government ministers and officials.
There is a risk that this information would assist criminals, terrorists
or fixated individuals with the aim of targeting these individuals or
disrupting the proper workings of government. Groups planning attacks are
known to conduct extensive research, building up a picture of their target
from various sources, of which this information could become part.

 

In these circumstances it is our view that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the
information.

 

URLs of pages on the UK Parliament intranet have also been redacted on the
basis that withholding it is necessary for the purpose of safeguarding
national security. This information is therefore also exempt by virtue of
section 24(1) FOIA. This is a qualified exemption and the public interest
test applies.

 

Again, we accept there is a legitimate public interest in what information
is being offered to both employees of the House of Commons Administration
and to Members of Parliament and how it is organised. However, we consider
that it is not in the wider public interest to disclose this information
because, as well as the risk posed to the security of the parliamentary
network, there is also a risk of national security being compromised.
Knowledge of the structure of the UK Parliament intranet would allow
potential cyber-attackers to build up a picture of its shape and size. It
could provide those groups or individuals with an indication of where to
focus their efforts when targeting our systems. Groups planning attacks
are known to conduct extensive research and will take advantage of the
‘mosaic effect’ by combining information from different sources. If this
information were to be combined with other information already in the
public domain or obtained from elsewhere, the disclosure of it could
assist in mounting an effort to breach or bypass cyber security measures,
with serious consequences. As Parliament is an essential part of the UK’s
system of government and these security measures also protect the proper
functioning of Government and the work of Ministers in Parliament, the
disclosure of this information may also compromise national security.

 

In these circumstances it is our view that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the
information.

 

Lastly, some information about the House of Commons Work Experience Scheme
is also available on the UK Parliament website. As this information is
already published, it is exempt from disclosure in accordance with section
21(1) and (2)(a) FOIA. This exemption removes a public authority from the
obligation to provide access to information which is already in the public
domain. This is an absolute exemption and the public interest test does
not apply.

 

However, it may help you to know that information relevant to your request
can be found at
[1]https://www.parliament.uk/business/commo....

 

 5. Any other House of Commons Guidance on MP's Interns

 

Some information is held by the House of Commons in relation to this part
of your request.

 

In the first instance, please understand that Members are responsible for
employing their own staff, and hold their own staffing records. However,
the House of Commons’ People and Culture team does provide advice and
guidance to Members in their role as employers.

 

The following advice to Members about interns can be found in a
‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document produced by our People and Culture
Team:

 

“May I employ an intern?

Yes. Normally this is on a fixed term contract.”

 

“How about unpaid interns and volunteers?

Unpaid interns and volunteers are not employees. However, the Member must
submit to IPSA a signed Volunteer Arrangement form for any unsalaried
intern or volunteer before any claims for travel or meals will be paid.”

 

We also hold a Line Managers Briefing Guide for the Speaker’s
Parliamentary Placement Scheme (SPPS), where successful applicants
undertake a nine-month paid internship in a Members’ office. This Guide is
attached to this response.

 

Please note that names and identifying job titles of some individuals
working for the House of Commons and for Members have been redacted from
the Guide. Members of Parliament, Peers and senior staff of the House of
Commons Administration can reasonably expect some personal data related to
the performance of their public duties to be disclosed and as a result
their names and job titles have not been redacted. However, for other
individuals, where the balance between the legitimate interests in the
disclosure of the information does not outweigh their privacy rights,
their names and job titles have been redacted. We have concluded that in
the case of this latter group, the disclosure of this information would
not be consistent with the data protection principle found in Article
5.1(a) UK GDPR. Accordingly, this information has been withheld in
accordance with section 40(2) FOIA.

 

In addition, in line with the other material in this response, URLs of
pages on the UK Parliament intranet have been withheld. This information
is exempt from disclosure in accordance with sections 31(1)(a) and (b) as
well as section 24(1) FOIA. The public interest tests are the same as
those outlined above.

 

Lastly, some information about working for an MP as an intern is also
available on the UK Parliament website. As this information is already
published, it is exempt from disclosure in accordance with section 21(1)
and (2)(a) FOIA. This exemption removes a public authority from the
obligation to provide access to information which is already in the public
domain. This is an absolute exemption and the public interest test does
not apply.

However, it may help you to know that information relevant to your request
can be found at [2]https://www.parliament.uk/about/working/....

 

It may also interest you to know that there are other sources of guidance
for those undertaking work experience or internships with Members. Both
the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), who are
responsible for paying Members and their staff, and [3]w4mp.org, an
independent website about working in Parliament, may hold relevant
information that you find of interest. IPSA is a public authority for the
purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and contact details
can be found on their website at [4]www.theipsa.org.uk. However, W4MP are
not and are therefore not obliged to answer requests made under the FOIA.

 

 

You may, if dissatisfied with the handling of your request, complain to
the House of Commons. Alternatively, if you are dissatisfied with the
outcome of your request you may ask the House of Commons to conduct an
internal review of any decision regarding your request. Complaints or
requests for internal review should be addressed to: Information Rights
and Information Security Service, Research & Information Team, House of
Commons, London SW1A 0AA or [5][House of Commons request email]. Please ensure
that you specify the full reasons for your complaint or internal review
along with any arguments or points that you wish to make.

 

If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner
at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF,
[6]www.ico.org.uk.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Information Rights Officer
Information Rights and Information Security

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
[7][IMG]

 

[8]House of Commons Privacy Notice for the public

 

The House of Commons welcomes feedback. If you have any compliments,
complaints or comments,
about the service that you have received please send an email
to [9][email address]

 

 

From: FOI Commons <[email address]>
Sent: 14 July 2021 12:21
To: Kacey Montagu <[FOI #773869 email]>
Cc: FOI Commons <[email address]>
Subject: F21-328 Request Acknowledgement

 

Dear Kacey Montagu,

 

Freedom of Information request F21-328

 

Thank you for your request for information dated 14 July 2021, received by
us on the same date, which is copied below.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case
within 20 working days i.e. on or before 11 August 2021.

 

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number
quoted above and in the subject line of this email.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

We will work hard to answer your information rights requests during the
current COVID 19 situation in line with statutory requirements, however
some requests may be affected by access to collections and availability of
staff. We will keep you informed of any identified delays in answering
your request.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Sarah Price

IRIS Support Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons

 

[10]www.parliament.uk | [11]@ukparliament | [12]@houseofcommons

[13]House of Commons Privacy Notice for the Public

[14]Supporting a thriving parliamentary democracy

 

 

 

From: Kacey Montagu <[15][FOI #773869 email]>
Sent: 14 July 2021 10:46
To: FOI Commons <[16][email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - MP Work Experience & Internship
Guidance

 

Dear House of Commons,

Please provide me with the following:

1) Copy of House of Commons Management Guidance – Working with Young
People

2) Work Experience Guidance note (pdf) from the Human Resources Department

3)Guidance for supervising new or young workers

4) Any other House of Commons Guidance on Work Expirence

4) Any other House of Commons Guidance on MP's Interns

Yours faithfully,

Kacey Montagu

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[17][FOI #773869 email]

Is [18][House of Commons request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to House of Commons? If so, please contact us using
this form:

[19]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[20]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[21]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

show quoted sections