HC Deb 23 April 1990 vol 171 c16
68. Mr. Allen

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will bring forward proposals to allow hon. Members to have a closed circuit television link to the Chamber.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Sir Geoffrey Howe)

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) on 21 February, when I said that the Select Committee on Televising of Proceedings of the House had not so far been persuaded of the case for allowing individual hon. Members to receive in their offices a clean television feed from the Chamber. The Select Committee will, during the next few weeks, be undertaking a full review of the televising experiment and no doubt this is one matter which will be considered.

Mr. Allen

Is not it nonsense that hon. Members do not have the choice of either a sound link or a televised link from the Chamber—a choice exercised freely in many other countries without detriment either to attendance on the Floor of the House or to understanding of the Chamber by hon. Members?

Sir Geoffrey Howe

I hesitate, even for the sake of the hon. Member, to describe as nonsense a proposition that has been rejected unanimously by the Select Committee on Televising of Proceedings of the House, and a proposition for which there has been limited demand, for understandable reasons. For example, the provision of a television feed in many places round the Palace would be distracting. Secondly, some hon. Members think that it would discourage enthusiasm for attendance in the Chamber. Thirdly, it would be expensive. The Select Committee will be looking at the matter during the next few weeks and hon. Members have been invited to represent their views to the Committee between now and then.

Mr. Latham

Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that if an hon. Member wants to know what is going on in the Chamber, all that he has to do is to walk through the door—[HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."]—and that if he wants to take part in the discussion, all that has to do is stand up and catch Mr. Speaker's eye? [HON. MEMBERS:"Oh!"]

Sir Geoffrey Howe

The popular reaction shows that it is easier for me to answer yes to the first part of the question than to the second.

Mr. Grocott

Is not technology overtaking us? It is only a matter of time before cable or satellite will provide a direct feed to anyone who has a television set. Sooner of later, we might as well catch up with the technology and provide a feed to every hon. Member.

Sir Geoffrey Howe

The hon. Gentleman is well placed, as a member of the Select Committee, to advance that argument when we consider it in the weeks ahead. We shall see how he gets on.