A guide to casework

MPs and constituency casework skip to link
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Devolved issues skip to link
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Briefings, data and resources skip to link
Getting help with constituency casework skip to link

The House of Commons Library provides various resources for Members of Parliament (MPs) and their staff to assist with constituency casework, including FAQs and explainers covering common casework issues, and a range of online databases. This page highlights some of those resources, while providing a short overview of the types of casework MPs and their staff typically can and cannot assist with.

While MPs and their constituency office staff will understandably want to help constituents, there are some limits on the types of casework MPs can deal with:

MPs cannot interfere in court decisions and are unlikely to be able to help with private legal disputes.
There are legal restrictions on giving immigration advice and providing immigration services.
Some matters, such as health services, have been devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The relevant Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), Member of the Senedd Cymru (MS) or Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Northern Ireland may be better placed to assist constituents with such matters.
For local issues that are not the direct responsibility of UK Parliament or UK Government, such as council tax, refuse collections or street repairs, it is expected that the constituent will typically first contact the local council or their local councillors before considering contacting their MP. The House of Commons Library tool Who is responsible for public services in my constituency? can help with this. The UK Parliament website provides additional information on Who should I contact with my issue? to support constituents.

Further detail is provided below, alongside links to useful resources to assist with casework.

MPs and constituency casework

MPs are elected to the House of Commons to represent the interests and concerns of all the people who live in their constituency, whether they voted for them at the General Election or not.

MPs have around 73,000 constituents on average, and many parliamentary duties to attend to. With volumes of constituency casework increasing, MPs and their staff will want to focus on the issues they can have an impact on.

Issues MPs commonly assist with

MPs are best placed to assist with matters for which the UK Parliament or central government is responsible. These include matters such as HM Revenue & Customs issues, benefits, pensions and national insurance, immigration, the NHS and hospitals in England, and school closures and funding. The UK Parliament website includes information on Who should I contact with my issue?.

Casework boundaries and conventions

There is no formal job description for MPs, and MPs enjoy a good deal of latitude in deciding how they will carry out their various duties. This includes engaging with, supporting and representing their constituents.

There are however conventions surrounding MPs’ dealings with their constituents, discussed in the Library’s briefing on MPs and constituency etiquette and on the Parliament website. For example, there is a convention that one MP’s relationships with his or her constituents are a preserve another MP should not interfere with. This means constituents should contact their own MPs about issues.

There are limits to the support MPs can provide. MPs will not be able to support every cause, nor will they be able to get the desired solution to every individual problem. And MPs may not be willing to support one constituent if this means disadvantaging another. After all, they may only hear one side of the story.

How MPs assist with casework

MPs can assist with constituency casework by speaking to government officials on behalf of constituents, writing to government ministers or raising issues in Parliament.

Some MPs take on an extra role which affects what they do and say when they are in the House of Commons. MPs subject to such restrictions can continue to raise issues affecting their own constituents through private correspondence or meetings.

MPs will also often hold constituency surgeries, either in person or online, where constituents can raise issues and ask if their situation is one the MP can help with.

Legal issues

Active court cases

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has published various advice notes to assist Members in applying the Code of Conduct for MPs. This includes advice on MPs writing to judges (PDF). The advice states that MPs should not write to judges or court staff in a way that could appear to interfere with the process of justice or judicial independence. This means MPs and their constituency staff must not write to judges or courts:

Asking them to consider particular matters in relation to active cases
Asking them to accelerate court proceedings, or
Making observations about the timing, listing or other administrative matters in connection with court proceedings.

If a constituent has concerns about the administration of a court case, the first step is generally for them to raise a complaint with HM Courts & Tribunals Service.

If the matter is not resolved through that complaints process, MPs can refer complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can make a final decision about the complaint, and make recommendations to HM Courts & Tribunals service.

Private legal disputes

MPs debate and pass legislation, and can raise issues about existing laws in parliament and with government. MPs generally cannot advise on private legal disputes, which require specialist, tailored legal advice, from an appropriately qualified and insured legal professional.

However, MPs are sometimes the last resort for constituents in legal disputes. Constituency offices can play an important role referring constituents to legal services, including free legal services, as identified in LawWork’s Mind the Gap report (PDF).

The Library has several briefings that can assist with constituency casework relating to private legal disputes:

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Justice has also published a guide for MPs on setting up and managing a casework service (PDF), which includes detailed guidance on helping constituents with legal disputes.

Directories of free legal advice services, aimed at supporting MPs with casework, were published for Pro Bono Week. The directories were compiled by various advice organisations, and overseen by the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee of England & Wales. There are different guides covering England & Wales, Wales (including a Welsh language version), and Scotland.

Immigration

It is a criminal offence under section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for a person, acting in the course of a business, to provide immigration advice unless they are regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, or otherwise entitled to give such advice (for example, regulated legal professionals may give immigration advice).

Gov.uk explains what constitutes immigration advice for these purposes. This includes advice, relating to a particular individual, in connection with a claim for asylum; an application for, or for the variation of, entry clearance or leave to remain in the UK; nationality and citizenship under the law of the UK; or removal or deportation from the UK.

The Immigration Advice Authority, which regulates immigration advisors, doesn’t have a published position statement on how the regulation of immigration advice affects elected representatives. In many cases it may be best to recommend that a constituent seeks advice from a specialist solicitor or adviser.

The Library has published guidance to assist with constituency casework relating to immigration, asylum and nationality:

Devolved issues

Devolved matters are the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly, and can be raised with a relevant MSP, MS, or MLA.

Whilst constituents can contact any of their representatives, MPs are best placed to help with issues that are the responsibility of the UK Parliament. If the issue is devolved, then the relevant MSP, MS or MLA may be better placed to assist.

Since 2018, when most provisions of the Wales Act 2017 came into force, the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly have all operated on what is known as the “reserved powers” model. This means that UK primary legislation sets out which matters the UK Parliament reserves responsibility for. If a policy area is not listed as reserved, it usually means it has been devolved.

Different policy areas are devolved for different parts of the UK.

Scotland

Many policy areas have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are responsible for legislating in those areas and would be best placed to advise on related issues. The Scottish Parliament provides a useful summary of legislative matters that the Parliament covers on its website.

Further information about MSPs about the issues they can help with is available on the Scottish Parliament website.

Wales

Members of the Senedd are best placed to advise on issues the Senedd is responsible for. The Senedd is responsible for legislating on issues including health, education and culture.

The Senedd website includes a useful overview of decision making in Wales which sets out who is responsible for various issues.

Northern Ireland

Similarly, some policy areas have been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly. For these issues, the relevant Assembly Member would be the appropriate first step. The Northern Ireland Assembly website provides a summary of how MLAs can assist.

The Library has published several briefings relating to devolution which provide further information:

Local issues

For local issues that are not the direct responsibility of UK Parliament or UK Government, such as council tax, refuse collections or street repairs, it is expected that the constituent will typically first contact their local council or local councillors before considering contacting their MP.

It can be complicated to work out who is responsible for a service. The House of Commons Library tool Who is responsible for public services in my constituency? can help with this.

The UK Parliament website provides additional information on Who should I contact with my issue? to support constituents. It is possible to contact local councillors online or by going to an advice surgery.

For further information: