Parliament staff make 550 calls to bullying line

More than 550 calls about bullying and harassment have been made by staff to Parliament helplines in the nine months since they were set up.

The figure was confirmed by a lead Commons advisor, Sarah Petit, who told the Women and Equalities Committee 35 investigations had now been launched.

The Commons director general revealed he had had "informal chats" with more than a dozen MPs after complaints.

A new independent complaints scheme was introduced in Parliament in 2018.

This included the introduction of the two phone lines - one to deal with bullying and one to deal with sexual misconduct - for all Parliamentary staff to make reports.

Allegations of bullying and harassment in Parliament first made headlines in 2017, and in October last year, a damning report by High Court judge Dame Laura Cox found lewd, aggressive and intimidating behaviour by MPs and senior staff had been "tolerated and concealed" for years.

'Staff on staff'

The Women and Equalities Committee is conducting an inquiry into making sure Parliament is "gender sensitive" and fostering an inclusive culture.

Other issues being looked at include female representation, access to childcare, and violence against women in politics, including online.

• 'Radical change' needed after Commons bullying

• Life at the bottom of the Commons pecking order

• MPs debate Commons bullying action

Giving evidence to the committee, Ms Petit said there had been a "big increase" in calls to the helplines following the Cox report.

Clerk of the House of Commons, John Benger, told the MPs the majority of the complaints were "staff on staff", rather than against MPs, but he said there was still a "huge problem" to be tackled.

"It is a massive problem in an organisation, bullying and harassment," he said. "Like many colleagues, I have been at the wrong side of it from members over the years - though not very often.

"When these things happen, it is incredibly stressful and depressing. It diminishes your confidence, it can induce sleeplessness and it makes you act in very odd ways. It is a huge problem."

But Mr Benger said "the culture has fundamentally shifted" when it comes to being transparent about complaints and "having brave conversations" with both MPs and staff who have been accused of such behaviour.

'Too little resource'

A six-month review of the Independent Complaints and Grievances Scheme, led by Alison Stanley, was published in May, saying it was "leading edge" in some aspects and it had been an "achievement" to roll it out across the whole parliamentary community.

But it said the amount of work to get all the systems in place for it to work had been "substantially underestimated" and there was "far too little resource" available.

The Commons Executive Board is expected to bring proposals for its next steps for the scheme to the House of Commons Commission at the end of the month.