APPENDIX 28
Letter from the Rt Hon Alan Howarth CBE
MP to the Chairman of the Committee
I wonder if I might offer a small suggestion,
almost as a footnote to the important reforms in the affairs of
the House of Commons which you are proposing. I think you are
suggesting that the main business of the House might conclude
on Wednesdays at 7 pm, with votes to follow, just as it already
does on Thursdays. It occurs to me, and I think there are colleagues
who share this view, that it would be helpful if the House of
Commons could start and finish its debates half an hour or even
an hour earlier, ending at 6.30 pm or 6 pm rather than 7 pm. This
would have two advantages that would be helpful to many colleagues.
It would make it possible for colleagues to go to a concert or
theatre, or even an evening class, confident that they would arrive
at the beginning of proceedings. As these events usually start
at 7.30 pm it is impossible for us to book tickets in advance
with any confidence that we shall be able to get there for the
beginning as things stand. The further advantage would be an earlier
start for colleagues who have to travel back to their constituencies
either on a Thursday or a Wednesday.
There may be significant reasons why it would
be difficult to start and finish on a Wednesday and Thursday an
hour or half an hour earlier, but I don't know what they are,
and I hope you will feel that this small adjustment could be accommodated
and would be worthwhile.
10 January 2002
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