§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Lord President of the Council pursuant to his answer of 17 December,Official Report, column 99, if he will request those hon. Members who have places on the research assistants' list which are currently not filled to release them in order to reallocate spare places to the hon. Members who require a researcher's pass; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorThere are 172 actual pass holders, out of the 230 places allowed, which means that 58 Members are currently not filling their places. I suspect that this has come about because of the imminence of the general election and some Members who have places are not filling them until they know whether they will need their places after the general election.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make it his policy not to allow any hon. Member to828W have two full researchers passes until all hon. Members requiring only one such pass have been allocated one; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorOnly the leaders of the official Opposition and of the Liberal Democrats have two full researchers' places, and, due to the imminence of the general election, I did not think that we could consider changing their entitlements.
I am sure that the situation over Members' research assistants' places will sort itself out in the aftermath of the general election. However, if it does not, I think that it would be an appropriate subject for the Administration Committee to investigate.