Ministerial Statements
Leader of the House
10:30 am

Alun Michael (Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour)

Whether the Government plan to impose penalties on Ministers who fail to observe the House's expectations in regard to statements.

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

The Government are committed to making key policy announcements in Parliament, a principle that is set out clearly in the Ministerial Code. As the right hon. Gentleman will know, the House had an opportunity to debate the issue in December last year. The premise that specific penalties should be imposed by the House over and above those already available was considered and rejected during that debate.

Alun Michael (Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour)

I congratulate the Deputy Leader of the House on delivering that reply with a straight face, but let us be honest: we all know that announcements should be made in this House first, but the temptation of a quick headline and some media coverage trumps

virtue almost every time, especially within the walls of No. 10. Does the Deputy Leader of the House agree that Ministers need to know that there is a certain penalty for that, such as promotion to the Whips Office or being hung by their toenails from the Elizabeth Tower, in order to ensure that virtue prevails?

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that. He is an experienced and respected parliamentarian, and he will be aware of the range of measures that are available to put a Minister on the spot over any alleged failure to make the most important policy announcements to this House. They include urgent questions, Select Committee investigations, Prime Minister’s questions, points of order and raising matters in the Backbench Business Committee. I hope he agrees that that is an impressive list of effective sanctions against errant Ministers.

James Gray (North Wiltshire, Conservative)

The Government have increased the number of ministerial statements made to this House, and you, Mr Speaker, have increased the use of urgent questions to hold the Government to account, which is also welcome. However, it sometimes feels as if there is not much point in attending events such as the Budget debate or the Queen’s Speech debate, as one has read all about them in the previous Sunday’s newspapers, which shows that not enough is yet being done. Will the Government consider making use of Westminster Hall, or elsewhere, in order to have far more ministerial statements and, crucially, far more opportunities for Back-Benchers to scrutinise what Ministers are up to?

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

It is worth pointing out that over the recent period there have been 32 Prime Minister’s statements. We are making more statements per day than under the previous Government. I agree, however, that it would be a good idea to allow Westminster Hall to be used for oral statements, and the Leader of the House has expressed support for that.

Chris Bryant (Rhondda, Labour)

In which case why, at 10 o’clock today, did the Minister for Universities and Science make an announcement on changing the immigration policy at a conference a long way from here?

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

I do not know the detail of what was announced, but sometimes such statements do not address matters of policy, but instead express the direction in which the Government are going.

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

It is clear from the ministerial code that that is precisely what Ministers are required to do, and as we know, if necessary the Speaker will intervene and force a Minister’s hand if that is required.