Annex 3
Letter from the Speaker of the House of
Commons to Damian Green MP
Thank you for your letter of 3 February.
Let me begin by addressing your last point, namely
about reference of the matter to the Committee of Standards and
Privileges. As you will know as I have said recently in the House,
(Hansard 2 February 2009 c592) I am bound by the decision
that the House itself took on 8 December 2008 to set up a Committee
to look into this matter but making it a condition that "the
Committee must not in any way prejudice any police inquiry or
potential criminal proceedings and that therefore it will be adjourned
immediately after choosing a chairman until the completion of
any relevant inquiry or proceedings that may follow".
In the light of that decision I have not felt
able to allow the matter to have precedence over the Orders of
the Day in accordance with the procedure laid down on page 167
of Erskine May.
On the other matter you raised, it is for the
House to determine its own privilegesand not incidentally
an individual Member. The Clerk of the House acts as the House's
principal adviser in matters of privilege and it is in this capacity
that he has advised the parties of such documents as he considers
have been identified as attracting Parliamentary privilege.
4 February 2009
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