Business of the House
10:33 am
Harriet Harman (Lord Privy Seal, House of Commons; Camberwell and Peckham, Labour)
I would never argue for complacency. We can always improve the processes of this House and modernise the way in which it does its business. Of course we should keep the issues under active review and make changes where necessary. In the meantime, however, we should not declare our work to be irrelevant, because that would be wrong. Part of the purpose of being a Member of Parliament is to do our job and continue to improve this institution. I said when I was first elected that it is a great and important responsibility to be a Member of Parliament. I came into Parliament to change and improve it, but I certainly did not begin my work by declaring that because I was in opposition, I was irrelevant.