Submission from Jon Trickett MP
Thank you for writing to me on 8 January about
the sitting times of the Chamber.
I am very pleased at the way in which you are
setting about this process of consultation and would like to briefly
express my views on the situation.
I am totally opposed to a decision to revert
to the old hours and would prefer that the new hours should stand
as they are.
I could be persuaded that the House should sit
longer on Tuesday evenings provided that Government business continues
to finish at 7 pm as it does at the moment. The additional sitting
hours created could be used to assist backbenchers to have more
time in the Chamber. I believe that the best alternative if this
was to be considered might be to end all Friday private members'
days, which always conflict with constituency business for those
who represent areas outside London. The corollary of ending the
Friday sittings would be that the extended hours on Tuesdays would
be for business that hitherto operated on Fridays. I must emphasise
very strongly, however, my preparedness to compromise in this
matter should not be used to register my support for a reversion
to the old hours against which I am totally opposed.
There may be other adjustments in the management
of business which would help to "bed down" the changes
which the House has made and I entirely accept that committee
times can be a difficulty for some members. It may be that Wednesday
mornings could be more profitably utilised particularly if the
Parliamentary Labour Party resolves to meet on Mondays as I believe
it should. Finally, I accept that there is difficulty in relation
to constituents who wish to be shown round the House. It was never
easy to get constituents from Yorkshire to Westminster early enough
to be given an adequate tour on the line of route even on the
old hours and obviously the situation has been exacerbated since
the change. However, I am sure that steps can and should be taken
to improve the situation by opening up viewing galleries perhaps
and also by line of route tours perhaps taking place at the end
of days play on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, although
this would necessitate constituents staying over night which might
be a problem for some.
January 2004
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