Westminster Hall (Hansard, 21 March 2000)

§ 54. Helen Jackson
To ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on the progress of the experiment with sittings in Westminster Hall. [114067]

§ Mr. Tipping
The experiment of sittings in Westminster Hall appears to be successful and will be evaluated by the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons in due course.

§ Miss McIntosh
To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what plans the Committee has for improving the acoustics for sittings in Westminster Hall. [115250]

§ Sir Sydney Chapman
An additional loudspeaker is being installed adjacent to the press table in the Grand Committee Room, which should improve audibility in that area; however, as Sittings of the House in Westminster Hall are still an experiment, it would be premature at this time to allocate additional funds, which could prove to be nugatory, in order to improve the acoustics further.
If my hon. Friend has been experiencing problems with the acoustics in the Grand Committee Room, she may wish to discuss the nature of the problem directly with the Director of Parliamentary Works.