Helen Jones

Helen Jones MP writes: "You may have read that I was appointed to the whips' office in the reshuffle in autumn last year and, since then, I have often been asked what I actually do. No day is the same, but I'll try to explain."

"Government whips are Ministers but their "department" is the House of Commons. It's our job to organise the business and get the government's legislation through. Each whip is responsible for a group of members and for a department. I'm the whip for a group of members in the North West and also for the Department of Work and Pensions. I meet ministers in the department each week to discuss forthcoming business and meet regularly with the teams drafting bills. I am responsible for all their legislation; not just major bills, but the many statutory instruments dealt with by committees."

"Government whips meet each day, before the House starts, and we have a longer, breakfast meeting, on Wednesday mornings. There is always a whip on the front bench to keep an eye on the business and we have a duty rota for this. We also act as tellers during votes and you will sometimes see the whips on news bulletins when they are announcing the results."

In the Cabinet reshuffle of June 2009, Helen received a significant promotion. She has moved from her position as Assistant Government Whip to the post of Vice-Chamberlain of Her Majesty’s Household and Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury. This is a senior position in the Government Whips’ Office. It also makes her the most senior woman in the whips’ office. She now has responsibility for all delegated legislation in the House and for the work of the Ministry of Justice which means taking the new constitutional bill through Parliament.

Along with her new political responsibilities, the job holds a number of ceremonial duties which she has to undertake, as the position means that she has become an officer of the Royal Household.

She must compile a private daily report on proceedings in the House of Commons for the Queen, as well as attending a number of events at Buckingham Palace.

The role also requires her to be held "captive" at Buckingham Palace when the Queen drives in procession to Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament.