My husband and I are excited to be getting close to the birth of our first child. My pregnancy has given me even more appreciation for the army of health professionals tasked with looking after us at our most vulnerable. And, all being well, we are set to head to Stroud Maternity Hospital in only a few weeks’ time.
These are of course extraordinary times. We never expected to be having a baby in ‘lockdown’ and the current situation has thrown up new challenges for so many families. There is much sadness and fear in the country generally but this sits alongside some truly inspirational acts of kindness in our communities.
I therefore wanted to provide some information about how my office will operate after I have the baby and reassure you that it is business as usual.
Maternity & Paternity leave
The Houses of Parliament have made maternity and paternity leave available like any other job.
My plan is to have at least the first four weeks after the birth away from social media and emails. I want an opportunity for our new family to bond and time to learn how to be a mum.
Thereafter, I will be on maternity leave during the summer recess months, returning to Parliament in October after conference recess.
During maternity leave, my brilliant team can contact me if necessary and we have arranged for a number of MPs, including the Gloucestershire MPs, to assist my team if they feel they need support.
Casework & enquiries
Constituents' enquiries, case work, questions to Ministers and campaigns will continue to receive attention from my team as usual.
My team are excellent. Half of them are based in Stroud and half are based in Westminster. We have experienced caseworkers, researchers and parliamentary assistants, together with somebody kindly assisting to keep my website up to date so you are kept informed.
Like me, the team are all extremely committed to serving the people of Stroud to the best of our ability. If you live in the constituency, we will do our level best to find a solution to any issues.
Voting
If a vote is taking place during an MP’s maternity or paternity leave, we can still vote via a proxy – another MP. This lasts for up to six months from the date of the baby's birth.
My due date actually falls not long before extensive periods of recess, so I do not miss much parliament time. In addition, the Houses of Parliament are operating a much reduced format at the moment due to the Coronavirus crisis. While the House business is limited, there is unlikely to be many opportunities to vote.
Even if the temporary online voting options are still in place, an MP will not vote online during maternity or paternity leave. We will vote via a proxy.
Surgeries
I enjoy surgeries and find them a valuable way to understand what issues are concerning you locally. My team will therefore continue to hold weekly telephone surgeries so we can keep working on new casework. Once we are permitted to hold face to face meetings again, these will resume.
Events and visits
My diary is usually packed full of interesting meetings with constituents, schools and businesses. While these are not permitted at the moment, if you are holding an event online or you are doing something exciting for your community, please let us know so we can see what you are up to.
Please also let us know if you want me to attend events later in the year so we can book things in as soon as possible.
My contact details are on my website www.siobhanbaillie.org.uk
I’m looking forward to becoming a mum and thank you for all the good wishes and messages of support. It is appreciated.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
We will meet again.
Siobhan
