HC Deb 15 July 1985 vol 83 cc15-6
35. Mr. Soames

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will take steps to seek to restrict the access of research assistants to the House facilities.

Mr. Biffen

Research assistants are already subject to certain restrictions in their access to House facilities. I would also refer my hon. Friend to the second report of the House of Commons (Services) Committee of this Session, which was debated in the House on 12 July.

Mr. Soames

I hope my right hon. Friend will realise that I was very sad not to be able to be here on Friday. I was attending to my constituents. Does he agree with me that our facilities are being overrun by this monstrous regiment of research assistants? Does he also agree that there is widespread evidence of abuse by some of them? Will he therefore seek radically to recast the rules that guide these procedures?

Mr. Biffen

A number of suggestions were made in the debate. The Sub-Committee, under the chairmanship of the right hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Mr. Silkin) will be considering them, in addition to the original recommendations that were made. I have no doubt that the recommendations that are made during this Question Time will be added to those that were made in the debate on Friday last.

Mr. Beith

If the Leader of the House were to seek to go beyond the sensible recommendations of the Services Sub-Committee, which were debated on Friday, could he not then be accused of seeking to ensure that Ministers are extensively and well advised, but that those who seek to challenge and question Ministers do not have the benefit of such advice?

Mr. Biffen

The usual charge is that Ministers are ill advised.

Mr. Beaumont-Dark

Does my right hon. Friend accept that some Members of this honourable House are willing to give out passes like confetti? Should there not be a limit to the number of so-called research assistants which so-called hon. Members can inflict upon us all? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh!".]

Mr. Biffen

That is one of the points that was made in the debate on Friday last.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I do not think the House approves of the phrase "so-called hon. Members". Every Member here is an hon. Member.

Mr. Boyes

Is the Leader of the House aware that I am not surprised that the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the chairman of the Tory party does not need research assistants? On the other hand, those hon. Members who are in the serious business of politics—[Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker

Order. I take the view that the hon. Member is very much in the serious business of politics.

Mr. Boyes

Those hon. Members who are in the serious business of politics and who are trying to solve the complex social problems that have been caused by the reactionary politics of this Government need as many research assistants as possible to help us. If the right hon. Gentleman wants an example, the new board and lodgings regulations are causing massive problems both in my constituency and in the constituencies of other hon. Members.

Mr. Biffen

I think that we are all beginning to get a slight touch of July fever. The Sub-Committee of the Services Committee will be considering this matter. Doubtless it will consider the hon. Gentleman's point, along with others.

Mr. Rowe

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many hon. Members, who find that the increasing number of lobby groups with access to word processors are drowning us with correspondence, are very grateful for our research assistants? I suspect that most of the difficulties that are encountered by research assistants, and come from them, are attributable to the fact that hon. Members do not brief them in the practices of this House as well as they should.

Mr. Biffen

I take note of what I am sure is one of the relevant factors. I undertake to draw the attention of the right hon. Member for Deptford to the points that have been raised this afternoon. They will be important to him when he makes his further studies.