Examination of Witnesses (Questions 40
- 44)
TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2005
MR GREG
HURST AND
MR JOHN
HIPWOOD
Q40 Chairman: One of the key issues
in this questioning session is on the issue of general access
to the Gallery facilities. When our predecessor Committee in the
last Parliament had representatives from the Press Gallery come
and answer questions on exactly the same area, they said they
were perfectly happy if the Press Gallery was opened up and later
they changed their views. You have been less welcoming of the
idea of opening up but you have not closed it off completely.
First of all, what processes have you gone through to get the
Press Gallery approval?
Mr Hurst: I am aware of the report
you are referring to. My understanding is when two of my colleagues
gave evidence to the Catering Committee, as it was then, one of
the questions from one of the Members of the Committee was why
not let more passholders have access to it. My colleague giving
evidence agreed. There was no advance notification in the submission
as there has been this time. I think after that there were some
discussions among my colleagues who did not like it and that may
have been why the Committee's recommendation was not taken up.
It is useful this time that we have seen the submissions in advance.
I have consulted, and so has John, among my colleagues. As we
have referred to not everybody agrees. We are offering, if the
Committee wishes, to relax our access rules to the press cafeteria
in order that other passholders who wish to can have access to
the press cafeteria. This is on the understanding that they will
not access other areas of the Press Gallery and will respect the
confidentiality of documents and private working areas in the
Press Gallery but if they wish to use the press cafeteria they
will be very welcome to do that. As I have pointed out, it is
small, there are only 58 seats. If we were completely overwhelmed
with the 2,000 staff who work here all coming in, clearly it would
not be viable. If there is demand and if there is a request, we
are happy to say "yes" to that on an experimental basis.
Q41 Chairman: It is a question of
the Press cafeteria not being viable, it is deeply uneconomic
and heavily subsidised. You are looking for a trade-off, wider
access to the Parliamentary Estate facilities?
Mr Hurst: Yes. In answer to Mr
Jones' question earlier, of course we are very conscious this
is provided at public cost, as indeed are all the facilities on
the Parliamentary Estate.
Q42 Mr Jones: You criticise us for
getting subsidised meals but I do not see any reference to the
fact that your facility is subsidised six times higher than ours.
I look forward to seeing what is in your paper tomorrow.
Mr Hurst: Every summer, just before
the summer recess, a note goes up in the Terrace cafeteria saying:
"The Terrace Cafeteria and the Terrace will be open during
the recess to all passholders with the exception of (a) temporary
contractors and (b) the press". We are, and as long as I
can remember have been, banned from using the Terrace during the
summer recess when most Members are no longer here.
Q43 Chairman: If we look at the situation
when the House is sitting it is entirely different.
Mr Hurst: No, I am talking about—
Q44 Chairman: I know what you are
talking about but we are in a situation where we have to look
at the overall picture. The overall picture is that, first of
all, a very substantial investment is about to be made in the
Press Gallery to upgrade it. Secondly, there is enormous pressure
on the rest of the Parliamentary Estate. We all recognise the
catering is deeply uneconomic and the Press Gallery does not escape
from that. We have to look at the issue of what is an under-used
facility.
Mr Hurst: That is precisely the
reason why we have agreed to the requests made by the Committee
that our access is opened up. If we make this gesture of goodwill
to other passholders and the request of the Committee, could the
Committee look again at this point about access to the Terrace
during the summer recess? Personally I find it offensive when
full passholders who happen to be Press Gallery members are banned
from the Terrace and put in the same category as temporary contractors.
I cannot see any justification for doing that if we are to open
up our own press cafeteria at other periods to all passholders.
Mr Hipwood: Chairman, I am sure
you are aware, but maybe not all Members of the Committee are,
the Press Gallery kitchen facilities and catering facilities are
to be closed down or severely curtailed from next spring/summer
anyway. That is out of our hands. It has nothing to do with the
refurbishment of the Press Gallery, it is all to do with the work
going on overhead on the roof. That is something the Committee
might want to bear in mind when we are talking about access to
the press cafeteria.
Chairman: The discussion of that issue
is a pleasure that awaits us. Thank you very much, gentlemen.
It has been extremely helpful.
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