A WORKING group has been set up to help MPs’ staff over concerns of a lack of support for their wellbeing.
A damning independent report last week carried out by QC Gemma White revealed an “unacceptable risk” of bullying and harassment at Westminster, including sexual harassment.
But there are also concerns about staff having to deal regularly with traumatic and harrowing cases of constituents, such as threats of suicide, homelessness and child abuse.
The cross-party staff-led Wellness Working Group, which met in Edinburgh for the first time last week, is aiming to improve conditions for MPs’ staff.
SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who is supporting the group, described the findings of the White report as “horrendous”.
She said: “Can you imagine what it is like for a staffer to come forward and report [incidents] – it will be anonymous, but we are talking a pretty difficult environment in some offices.
“You imagine how terrifying it is for a member of staff to come forward and open up about that kind of thing, particularly if you are then dealing with harrowing constituency cases as well.”
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She added: “Many [MPs] have made a rod for their own back and have behaved appallingly, there is no doubt about that.
Bardell said the idea for the group had stemmed from work on an all-party group on deaths abroad, which had involved staff talking to bereaved families about harrowing and traumatic deaths.
The MP for Livingston said she believed the type of cases staff had to deal with had become increasingly complex in recent years.
QC Gemma White, who carried out the investigation into bullying and harassment in Westminster, said there was a “significant problem” about the way some MPs treated the people who worked for them.
Commons speaker John Bercow described the findings as “deeply shocking” while Theresa May said it was “deeply worrying”.
The House of Commons Commission, which is responsible for administration and services, is meeting with White tomorrow.
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