§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Chairman of the Information Committee when hon. Members will be able to view pre-legislative scrutiny proceedings or-line in their offices; and if he will make a statement. [125001]
§ Michael FabricantFollowing a successful pilot project, a webcasting service will be established on a permanent basis later this year and will be accessed through the www.parliamentlive.tv website. Links will be provided from the webcasts to details of witnesses and other background material. The service will provide coverage of both Chambers, sittings in Westminster Hall, and some Select and Standing Committees. Audio and video coverage will be available for any committees that are televised. Audio-only coverage will be provided for most other committees. Therefore, if a committee chooses to carry out pre-legislative scrutiny, or if a special committee is appointed for that purpose, it is likely that its proceedings will be webcast either in audio-only or both in audio and video.
Any material webcast will be available on demand from an archive that will hold about 14 days' worth of material. There are plans to make the webcasting service available to all users of the parliamentary network, but this is dependent on an upgrade to the network that is planned for this summer, which will provide greater transmission capacity.