CS Fast Stream

8/6/2019 CS Fast Stream

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Graduate Appointments in Parliament

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The Fast Stream route

to a career in Parliament


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Contents Introduction 2

Fast Stream Opportunities 4

How to apply 5

Training and Development 5

Promotion 5

Pay 5

Condition 5

House of Commons 6

- Department of Chamber

and Committee Services 7

- Department of Resources 7

- Department of Facilities 8

- Department of Information Services 8

House of Lords 10

Recent Fast Streamers 12

Equal Opportuni ties 14

Further Information 14



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Working in either House o Parliament is a ascinating

career or anyone interested in the constitution, politics

and public policy.

Careers may appeal to those whose interests are divided

between the academic and the practical, and who enjoy

proximity to the parliamentary process without wishing,

themselves, to engage in the cut and thrust o politics.

Essential qualities or all these posts include an interest

in current aairs, the capacity to work as a member o

a team and the ability to produce inormation which is

clear and accurate and advice which is persuasive, both inwriting and orally, when under p ressure. In both Houses

political impartiality is essential to ensure the condence

o Members o Parliament o all parties. Te capacity

to lead and manage projects and teams is becoming

increasingly important to those pursuing a career in

Parliament.

Fast Streamers are employees o the appropriate House,

not Civil Servants, and serve Parliament, not the

Government o the day, although conditions o service

and the grading structure are linked to, and kept broadly

in line with, the Civil Service. In recent years two or

three vacancies or Fast Streamers have arisen in each

House annually. Fast Streamers can expect to serve in

a variety o roles across either House rom supporting

Select Committees to involvement in the Housesadministration.

Fast Stream Opportunitiesin Parliament

How to ApplyFast Stream appointments in the House o Commonsand House o Lords are oered through the Civil ServiceFast Stream Development Programme. Te Fast Streamcompetition is vigorous, open and air and, or posts inParliament, consists o 5 stages:

All Fast Stream applicants will be required to undertakea sel-assessment test, comprising a verbal and numericalreasoning test and Fast Stream Situations est at the starto the online application process. Tis will help you gauge

your likely success at the rst round o online tests. Tereis then another opportunity to practise online verbal andnumerical reasoning tests.

Having had an opportunity to amiliarise yoursel with

the Fast Stream online tests candidates then complete theverbal and numerical reasoning test and a competencyquestionnaire. Tese are taken within a specied timerame at your own PC. Successul candidates will then beasked to complete an application orm beore proceedingto

Te E-ray Exercise. Tis is a 3 hour invigilated testtaken on a PC at a Fast Stream test centre in the UK.An example e-tray exercise can be ound at:

www.faststream.gov.uk

Successul candidates then proceed to the one-day FastStream Assessment Centre (FSAC). Tis will be held incentral London and will assess candidates interpersonalskills, intellectual capacity and delivery skills.

Te last stage or candidates successul at the Fast Stream

Assessment Centre will be a Final Selection Board (FSB)held at the Houses o Parliament in May/June. ypicallyFSB consists o the Chair and three or our Members.

Te Members are likely to be assembled rom thesenior service in the two Houses, together with externalMembers. Te interview lasts about 35 minutes. TeBoard will have your application papers and a report o

your perormance at FSAC. FSB provides the opportunityto resolve, through an interview, any uncertainties arisingrom this earlier evidence, to explore your motivation andaptitude and to test your ability to think on your eet, as

will sometimes be required in work situations. Te topicsto be discussed will thereore not be predictable.

Fast Stream Training andDevelopmentFast Streamers in both Houses receive most o their trainingon the job and are encouraged to take advantage o trainingopportunities throughout their careers on aspects o publicpolicy, personal development, management skills andcomputer training, including attendance at external coursessuch as those oered by the National School o Government.In both Houses regular seminars are a rranged or sta onaspects o parliamentary procedure and on developmentsin the administration and workings o the House. Temajority o graduates recruited to the two Houses remain inparliamentary service or the whole o their careers thoughthere are opportunities or secondments, including to postsin the Central Departments o the Civil Service, to theNational Parliament Ofce in Brussels, and, or House oLords Clerks, to the Government Whips Ofce.

PromotionPromotion prospects are similar to those in the FastStream Civil Service.

PayPay or Fast Stream Clerks starts rom 25,000 to

26,000 and progresses in line with the Home CivilService. Where appropriate, allowances are paid orunsocial hours.

ConditionsExcellent service conditions apply with generous annualleave, a choice o nal salary or stakeholder pensions,

interest ree season ticket loan, and child-care vouchers.Membership o an in-house gym is available on paymento an annual membership ee.


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Department of Chamber

and Committee ServicesTe Department o Chamber and Committee Servicessupports the business o the House and its Committees.

Tree Directorates provide procedural advice and secretariatservices to the House, the Speaker and the DeputySpeakers, to the Committees appointed by the House,and to individual MPs. Te Department also reports theproceedings o the House and Committees (Hansard) andis responsible or ceremonial and security services (Serjeantat Arms).

Fast Streamers normally begin their careers as Clerks inthe Committee Ofce on the sta o a Select Committeeor, less oten, in a junior position in one o the proceduralofces servicing the work o the Chamber or Committeesdealing with legislation.

As the second Clerk o a Select Committee you wouldparticipate in organising its inquiries, preparing briengpapers, travelling with the Committee in the UnitedKingdom and abroad, and helping prepare its dratreports. In the procedural ofces you would learn atrst hand how the House works and the complexitieso its procedures. Te variety o dierent ofces withinthe Department - the Committee Ofce, able Ofce(dealing with Parliamentary Questions, Motions andthe business o the House), the Legislation Service(concerned with the passage o Bills and other legislation),

Journal Ofce (which maintains the ormal records othe House), the International Relations Directorate(concerned with relations with other Parliaments andinternational assemblies) - ensures that it is unlikely that

you will work in the same area o the Department insuccessive appointments. Clerks may expect to spend at

least hal, and probably more, o their careers workingwith Select Committees. Most Committee sta arebased in an ofce building a ew minutes walk rom thePalace o Westminster, but new Clerks working or SelectCommittees also have the opportunity on evening duty inthe House to gain some experience o procedural ofces.

Work in one o the core procedural ofces o theCommons accounts or about one third o Clerks posts,and involves work on the passing o legislation, givingadvice to Members o Parliament on ParliamentaryQuestions and Motions and the business beore the Houseand keeping the legal record o the decisions taken by theHouse. Te remaining two thirds o posts are involved

with the servicing o Select Committees, and more strategic

management posts and projects are open toClerks throughout their careers. Clerks have also becomeincreasingly involved in managing human resources,communications, nancial and resource needs.

As well as developing the usual skills o administration -preparation o brieng, drating memoranda and reportsand participating in meetings - Clerks learn how toprovide advice at times o high political pressure in sucha way that it will be accepted by all opposing interests.Clerks are also called upon to provide procedural and otherservices or international parliamentary assemblies likethe Council o Europe, NAO Parliamentary Assembly,Inter-Parliamentary Union and other bodies. Tey may alsobe required to accompany Select Committees on overseas

visits.

Department of ResourcesTe Department o Resources traditionally provided arange o proessional and administrative services to theHouse o Commons. Tese included nancial servicesto MPs and their sta, covering pay, pensions, andallowances. Tese unctions are now provided by theIndependent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).

Te Department still provides HR services to MPs, as wellas HR, nance and other business services to sta o theHouse. Te Department also provides leadership in thecorporate development o organisational capability in theareas o nance, human resources, and procurement. TeDepartment will soon be restructured into two separateDepartments: a Department o Human Resources andChange and a Department o Finance. Both Departments

will have Director Generals who will serve on the Board.

I you undertake a placement in either o the newDepartments you will gain valuable skills, knowledge andexperience in people or nancial management. Tis couldinclude:

input into HR policies, procedures and practices;

drat guidance or line managers;

manage learning and development projects;

assist with diversity initiatives;

support the House savings programme,

carry out an executive support role

or; undertake a procurement exercise.

In the Commons, Fast Streamers will gainvaluable House-wide experience to open up avariety o avenues or uture career progression.

Te House o Commons service is divided intoour Departments:

Chamber & Committee Services

Resources

Facilities

Inormation Services

Tere is also a small Ofce o the ChieExecutive, and the separate ParliamentaryInormation and Communications echnologyDepartment (PIC), which is a jointDepartment.

Each Department provides specic servicesto MPs, their sta and the public. TeManagement Board oversees the House Serviceand is comprised o the Director General oeach Department and chaired by the Clerk othe House. Te service is ultimately accountableto the Speaker and the House o CommonsCommission.

Te our year development programme willnormally start in the Department o Chamberand Committee Services and Fast Streamers

will move to other exciting roles across theHouse during their second, third and/or ourth

year.

House of Commons


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Department of FacilitiesTe Department o Facilities manages the Parliamentary

Estate and provides a sae and unctioning environment

or everyone working in or visiting Parliament. Tis

includes long term estate planning, the provision o expert

advice on the preservation o the Palace o Westminster

as a World Heritage Site, planning and delivery o

maintenance work, placing contracts and management

o capital projects. Te Department also manages all

ofce accommodation, cleaning, mail delivery and room

bookings.

Te Catering and Retail Services arm o the Department

provides meals, rereshments and banqueting services and

manages the souvenir kiosks.

Te Department has three service Directorates:

Catering and Retail Services provide up to 1.6 million

meals every year. It opera tes a range o acilities rom

snack bars to ne dining restaurants serving over

300,000 customers, bar services and private unction

rooms serving over 200,000 customers. Souvenirs and

gits are available to help ull visitor and Members

expectations serving some 100,000 customers every year.

Te Parliamentary Estates Directorate (PED)

manages the corporate real estate, delivers sufcient

accommodation and services to meet the needs o all

who work within, or visit, the Parliamentary Estate,

and optimises its use as a healthy, sae, sustainable

and eective working environment and, at the same

time, maintains the abric and heritage o Parliamentsbuildings, objects and documents or the benet o uture

generations.

Accommodation and Logistics Services (ALS) provides

accommodation services to Members o the House o

Commons, their sta and sta o the House to enable

them to carry out their parliamentary roles eectively.

Te Directorate is also responsible or a wide range o

ofce and allied services including the management o a

cleaning contract, or the mail and stationery contracts,

and a large part o the photocopier contract.

Te Department is supported by a Business Management

Directorate and a Finance Directorate as well as an

Executive Ofce which is the centre o operations or

the Department o Facilities and the conduit or ofcial

correspondence and communication to and rom the

Department.

I you join the Department you would have an

opportunity o working in either a service delivery role

or in an executive/support role. For example you may

be in the Estates Directorate where one o the tasks

would be acting as the Secretary o the Parliamentary

Estate Board; which meets on a monthly basis. Tis

would involve working closely with Senior Directors and

Managers across the House o Commons and Lords,

to ensure that papers are circulated timely or meetings

and minutes produced. Another acet o this role is to

be the interace with the Director Generals Executive

Ofce on Parliamentary Questions (PQs), Freedom o

Inormation (FOI) requests and to ensure that deadlines

are met. Alternatively you may be working in the Director

Generals ofce working on business related matters across

the Department, which include being the primary ocal

point in Inormation Management & Security, PQs,

Business Continuity and Risk. Tere may also be the

possibility or a role in one o the Service Delivery teams

in an operational customer acing area such as Catering &

Retail Services.

Department of Information ServicesTe Department o Inormation Services provides research,

analysis, library and inormation services or the House o

Commons. Its main responsibility is to serve MPs and their

sta; it also provides public inormation services including

outreach, education, and visititor services; media and

communications services; and online services. Te ofce o the

Curator o Works o Art is also based here.

Fast Streamers would most likely work in the Library's

research service or in Parliamentary Outreach.

The Library

Te Library provides an impartial inormation and

research service or all Members o Parliament on any

subject related to their parliamentary duties. It also

produces brieng papers on legislation, economic and

social trends, international relations, and other topical

issues. Fast Streamers may have the opportunity o

working in the Library as a Library Clerk. Tey carry

out research and provide inormation direct to Members,

and take ull responsibility or their work rom an early

stage. Most Library Clerks are recruited directly through

external competition, as many o them are specialists who

work in one o eight subject-based sections which provide

inormation and research assistance to Members, and, on

occasion, to Select Committees. Tese posts oten require

a specialised background or qualication in a eld such aslaw, economics or science; but library qualications are not

required.

Te main duties as a research Library Clerk would

be to respond, orally or in writing, to requests rom

individual Members and to prepare brieng papers. While

responses to individual Members are condential, much

pre-prepared and regularly updated brieng material

is made available to all Members on the Parliamentary

Intranet and the Parliament website. Many requests rom

individual Members have tight deadlines, sometimes

needing an instant answer on the telephone or requiring a

response the same or the next day. Brieng papers linked

to the business o the House may also need to be produced

at short notice, but some subjects allow time or a more

considered approach.

You will need to keep up to date with developments in

the subjects which you cover and to develop contacts who

are experts in these elds. Librarians in research teams

compile a knowledge base o source material relevant to

the subjects covered. Your sources will include relevant

on-line databases as well as contacts in Government

Departments and other outside organisations. All

Library Clerks are expected to acquire a knowledge o

parliamentary procedures and documentation, to become

amiliar with the procedures o the European Union and

to keep abreast o European proposals in the areas which

they cover. Much o the initial training is on the job or

provided in-house but Library Clerks are also encouraged

to attend external conerences and courses in the subjects

they cover.

Parliamentary Outreach

Parliamentary Outreach serves both Houses and is in

the third, o a ve element programme endorsed by both

Houses radically to improve the connection between

Parliament and the public. Te aim o Outreach is to raise

awareness o, and build long-term strategic engagement

with, the work o Parliament in the wider community,

mainly through the delivery o tailored inormation

sessions. Tere are Outreach Ofcers based in all UKregions, establishing good links with local and community

representatives o national organisations whose remit is to

develop civic participation.

You may have the opportunity to join the Outreach

Service and deliver a range o dedicated Outreach services

and resources, oered both at Westminster and across the

UK. Te Parliamentary Outreach programme is separate

to, but works alongside, Parliaments Education Service.

As a Fast Streamer, you would be responsible or working

in partnership with sta and Members at Westminster and

in the devolved legislatures to deliver Outreach at local

level and develop strategic partnerships with counterpart

sta in the devolved legislatures. Tis will involveestablishing and instigating opportunities to promote the

work o Parliament at regional level to relevant audiences.

Tere will also be a strong ocus on working with Select

Committees and Public Bill Committees to explore new

ways o promoting engagement with evidence-gathering

processes.


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House of Lords

Te House o Lords currently employs over 450 ull-

time equivalent sta, o whom over 40 were recruited

through the Fast Stream. It has a unied structure,

divided into a number o separate unctional units,

covering a range o services in support o the work o

the House, rom catering to research services.

In many respects the role o a Fast Streamer in the

Lords replicates that in the Commons.

Most Fast Stream posts provide direct procedural

and other support or the work o the House, in the

Chamber or in Committees. At any one time about

hal o the Fast Stream entrants are assigned to workwith a Select Committee. C lerks o Committees

manage a small secretariat supporting each Committee

unit. Tei r responsibility is to organise programmes o

work to enable Committees to carry out the unctions

assigned them by the House. Tey also have to advise

Committees about how they should comply with the

practice and procedure o the House and any relevant

House policies. Tey play a key role in drating reports

and other documents or Committees and on occasion

travel with the Committee away rom Westminster.

Committee Clerks have to amiliarise themselves with

sometimes quite complex subjects in a short time,

identiy key issues and help Committees analyse them.

As Lords Committees tend to have very broad terms

o reerence the Committee clerk can expect to have to

move very quickly rom one subject area to another.

In addition to Committee work, in due course Fast

Streamers gain experience o other ofces supporting

the work o the Chamber more directly. In the Public

and Private Bill Ofce they administer the legislative

unction o the House, and provide advice and support

to Members seeking to participate in debate on it. In

the Journal Ofce they are responsible or compiling

inormation about the House and its work and

procedures, and will be involved in preparing the ormal

record o parliamentary business. In the able Ofce

they will prepare the business papers or the Chamber,

advising Members on the questions and motions

they can ask and ensuring that they comply with the

procedures o the House.

Fast Stream entrants have also always been deployed in

wider administrative roles. wo Fast Stream entrants

are seconded to the Cabinet Ofce as private secretaries

to the Leader o the House and the Government Chie

Whip, and they may also occupy other administrative

posts as private secretaries to senior Members o

the House such as the Lord Speaker or Chairman

o Committees, or the Clerk o the Parliaments; as

secretary to the Management Board; or on secondment

to other areas o parliamentary administration, or

outside the House. Fast Stream entrants have also

served as Head o Human Resources, and Finance

Director.

All Lords Fast Streamers can expect to undertake some

night duty while the House is sitting, compiling the

ormal Minutes o Proceedings, undertaking division

duty when the House votes, or sitting at the able o the

House or a Grand Committee.


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What recent Fast Streamers have to say about Parliament

I joined what was the Clerks Department in October 20 06, still not really

knowing what the job would involve. I had applied or the Civil Service Fast

Stream and decided that a Clerkship in Parliament looked interesting enough to

put as my irst choice. From open days, brochures and talking to e xisting Clerks

Id discovered that Clerks supported the work o Committees and provided

procedural advice but I had no idea how that would relate to my day to day work

as the new Second Clerk o the Education and Skills Committee.

What it turned out to mean, in practice, was that I was given a short inquiry to

manage, into bullying. I arra nged or experts to attend Committee meetings to

give evidence, provided brieing or the C ommittee and at the end o the process drated a report or the Chairman.

I certainly hadnt expected, when I joined the Department, to be part o producing a report that would make the ront

page o one national newspaper! Although inquir ies I have worked on since then havent managed to achieve the same

level o media coverage, the sense o achievement that comes rom helping MPs scrutinise the work o the Government

remains one o my avourite things about this job. While I was with the Education and Skil ls Committee I accompanied

the MPs on a visit to China. ravelling with a Committee can be exhausting but it is a antastic chance to meet

interesting and knowledge people and see things you wouldnt otherwise have the chance to.

Apart rom the possibility or travel and the excitement o seeing media report about something you had a part in, one

o the other main attractions is the variety o the work. I have enjoyed the challenge o getting to grips with unamiliar

material in order to advise and assist a Committee.

Ater a year on a Committee I chose to do a short secondment to the Department o Resources. I worked or the

Director o Operations and ound the experience o working in a dierent Depar tment in a very dierent roleinteresting and useul. he development o a House-wide Fast Stream means that uture Fast Stream entrants are likely

to spend at least part o their ea rly careers working outside the Department o Chamber and Committee Services. he

knowledge o how the wider House service works has proved to be ver y useul in my current role as second clerk o the

Administration Committee.

Internal reorganisation means there are House-wide changes happening but the Department still retains a unique

working culture. I discovered soon ater starting that it is a pleasant and sociable place to work. During my irst ew

weeks a number o colleagues at all levels introduced themselves and welcomed me to the Department. Since then I

have relied on the advice and k nowledge o more senior Clerks requently and have always ound that people are always

willing to help when asked.

Jyoti ChandolaHouse of Commons Clerk

BA Hons Theatre Dramaturgy, University of Leeds

While some people join the Fast Stream straight out o University, I joined the

House o Lords ater two years working or a government department. I was

uncertain as to whether to accept a position on the central departments Fast Stream

or take up a Clerkship in the Lords, but in the end the thought o working at

the heart o the political process won me over and its a decision I have never

regretted. I spent a year and a hal working on the Science and echnology Select

Committee, beore moving to a European Union Committee covering economicand inancial aairs. In time at the Lords I have: drated a report that made the

pages o nearly every national newspaper; heard my work debated in Parliament;

travelled to Washington, Paris and Brussels (not to mention Bedordshire); and, worked closely with some o the most

interesting and knowledgeable individuals in the UK. Im now working on economic governance in the EU: one o the

biggest and most talked about topics o the day. here can be ew jobs where you may be responsible this early in your

career or work which might have a real impact, and the thrill o turning on the radio and hearing something you have

contributed to being discussed never ades.

As a Clerk on a Select Committee, I have been line-managing a Committee Assistant since my irst day, as well as

managing the work o a Policy Analyst and a Specialist Adviser (an outside expert brought in to advise on a particular

inquiry). My daily tasks range rom the administrative (liaising with government departments, identiying witnesses to

give evidence, and organising Committee visits) to the more academic, such as preparing brieing papers, producing lists

o questions or witnesses, and drating lengthy reports on evidence gathered over a nine month long inquiry.

At the same time as my day job on a Select Committee, I also spend time working directly on the business o the

House o Lords. I spend at least one aternoon and evening a week on division duty, meaning I am on call to record

votes i the House decides to divide. Ater six months I also started spending one or two days a month preparing theHouse o Lords Business document which means helping Members schedule business and advising on questions that

Peers wish to put to the Government.

Ater the Committee Oice, I expect to be moved to another post which will either ocus more on the administration

o the House (or example, Secretary to the Management Board) or on procedure and the business o the House (or

example, in the Public Bill Oice working directly on legislation or or perhaps a secondment to the Cabinet Oice to

work in the Government Whips Oice scheduling the Governments business in the Chamber).

It is hard work, but you are given a lot o responsibility rom day one and the opportunity to work on a wide range o

subjects at a key institution in the British political system.

Antony WillottHouse of Lords Clerk

BA Politics and History, University of Durham


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Equal OpportunitiesRecruitment and promotion are strictly on ability andperormance. We welcome applications rom all qualiedindividuals. We are committed to developing working practices

which will allow every member o sta to contribute his orher best, regardless o, or example, race, sex, marital status,religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignmentor any other irrelevant actor.

Further Information

Further inormation on Parliament can be ound onwww.parliament.uk.

For urther inormation on job vacancies in Parliament go tohttp://www.parliament.uk/useful/job_opportunities.cfm.

For inormation on Clerkships in Parliament [email protected]

Documents

CS Fast Stream