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Constituency office

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The constituency office of British MP Nigel Adams in Tadcaster, 2019

A constituency office, also called an electorate office, is an office operated by a local political officeholder, such as a Member of Parliament (MP), within the area they represent. It may be used to have meetings with constituents, or administration for the officeholder. It can serve a similar function to a surgery, but is normally based in a fixed office. Sometimes officeholders may also have offices in or around the legislature they serve in, which may serve a similar function but are normally not in the officeholder's constituency.

Australia

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Members of the House of Representatives are entitled to between one and three electorate offices depending upon the size of their constituency, while members of the Senate are each entitled to one office.[1]

Canada

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Some Members of Provincial Parliaments (MPPs) in Canada, for example in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, maintain constituency offices.[2][3][4]

Ireland

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See also: Dáil constituencies
Constituency office of former Labour senator, Jimmy Harte, in Letterkenny, County Donegal

It is common, in Ireland, for TDs to maintain constituency offices.[5] These offices are maintained in the TDs' home constituency, and are covered by a "constituency office establishment allowance",[6][7] and other allowances for some of the costs in running the office.[8]

In January 2024, the constituency office of TD Holly Cairns was reportedly closed due to "safety concerns".[9][10] In February 2024, the office of Offaly TD Carol Nolan was vandalised.[11][12]

New Zealand

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All members of the New Zealand Parliament are entitled to an electorate office, and two electoral secretaries.[13][14] Although there is nothing requiring MPs to have an electorate office, taxpayer-funded electorate secretaries are not allowed to work out of Parliament buildings.[14] After her's was attacked in 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden described their use as "they help them [constituents] with housing issues, immigration issues, welfare issues" and that such issues were happening "consistently".[15]

In 1996 Labour list MPs announced that they would begin to set up parliamentary offices.[16]

Tonga

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The establishment of constituency offices was approved by the Tongan Parliament in 2019.[17]

United Kingdom

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See also: Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Constituency offices are common in the UK, especially for established MPs.[18] Unlike surgeries, where 'drop-in' sessions are common, some meetings in constituency offices may require booking.[19]

Offices are regulated by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which provides support with rent, deposits, and valuation. Most MPs have a constituency office and a Westminster office, although not all.[20]

Following the murder of Jo Cox in 2016, MPs were reportedly offered access to additional security measures for their homes and constituency offices, leading to an increase in spending on such measures up to 2018.[21]

Members of the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and Welsh Parliament can also maintain constituency offices.[22][23][24]

References

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  1. ^ "Office types and office resources". Australian Government Department of Finance. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Contact an MPP". ola.org. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  3. ^ "MPP contact information: constituency offices". ola.org. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  4. ^ Koop, Royce (June 2012). "Party Constituency Associations and the Service, Policy and Symbolic Responsiveness of Canadian Members of Parliament". Canadian Journal of Political Science. 45 (2). Canadian Political Science Association: 359–378. doi:10.1017/S0008423912000364. JSTOR 23320975. S2CID 1546034.
  5. ^ "Opinion: Duncan Smith: Constituency clinics are vital for many". Irish Examiner. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Other allowances - Constituency office establishment allowance". oireachtas.ie. Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 27 February 2024. If a TD chooses to have an office presence in his or her own constituency they can reclaim some of the costs associated with setting up that office
  7. ^ "S.I. No. 84/2010 - Oireachtas (Allowances and Facilities) Regulations 2010". irishstatutebook.ie. 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Revealed: how much in expenses your local TD claimed in 2021". Irish Independent. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2024. TDs can claim the cost of their constituency office energy bills [..] It can also be used to pay for utility bills associated with running an office
  9. ^ "Closure of Holly Cairns' constituency office over safety concerns 'shocking', says Cork councillor". breakingnews.ie. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  10. ^ "'Sad day for democracy' when TD's constituency office forced to close over security concerns". The Journal. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  11. ^ "TD vows to continue 'undeterred' after attack on constituency office". Mayo Live. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Laois Offaly TDs constituency office window smashed". Ireland Live. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  13. ^ "GUIDE TO THE NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT" (PDF). European Parliament. 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  14. ^ a b Boyd, Sarah (21 November 1996). "Prebble sees no need for electorate office". Evening Post. ProQuest 314458072. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via ProQuest.
  15. ^ Leahy, Ben (28 October 2022). "Ardern on office attack: 'Extremely upsetting' incidents becoming more common". NZ Herald. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  16. ^ "List MPs to set up electorate offices". Timaru Herald. 26 November 1996. p. 12. ProQuest 313890416. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ Lee, Irra (3 March 2020). "Tongan Parliamentary staff exchange knowledge with NZ counterparts". RNZ. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  18. ^ Hofstetter, Emily; Stokoe, Elizabeth (August 2018). "Getting service at the constituency office: Analyzing citizens' encounters with their Member of Parliament". Text & Talk. 38 (5): 551–573. doi:10.1515/text-2018-0014. S2CID 149502647.
  19. ^ Costa, Alberto. "Constituency Office". albertocosta.org.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Surviving your first week in the constituency office". Working for MPs. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Sir David Amess killing: Should MPs still be able to meet the public?". BBC. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2024. All MPs were offered panic buttons [..] and emergency fobs at their homes and constituency offices [..] The spending on such measures soared from £170,576 in 2015/16 to £4.5m two years later
  22. ^ McDaid, Brendan (24 July 2020). "Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin opens new constituency office in Derry". Derry Journal. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  23. ^ Smith, Neil (19 June 2023). "Labour leader Anas Sarwar opens MSP's new office in North Ayrshire". Largs and Millport Weekly News. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  24. ^ Mosalski, Ruth; Clements, Laura; Stephens, Lydia; John, Lucy; Lewis, Ffion; O'Neill, Ryan (6 June 2021). "The significant sums spent by Senedd Members on expenses". Wales Online. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
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