Clause 4 - Co-operation
Proceeds of Crime Bill
5:00 pm
Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet, Conservative)
Before we proceed, it was probably discourteous of me not to have realised before that some members of the Committee may not have served on a Committee on a major Bill before—or even on any Standing Committee at all. We should therefore lay down a few ground rules about what is permitted and what is not, as we are likely to be considering the Bill for a considerable period.
Messages passed between Ministers and civil servants must go through the Parliamentary Private Secretary. The issues are complex, and I appreciate that all hon. Members may from time to time require information or assistance from outside bodies. I would like therefore to say to those on the Back Benches that Members receiving information from people beyond the Bar of the Committee Room should do so outside the Room. It is not permissible to hand messages across the Bar to Members in the Room.
If Members wish to have private conversations, other than the occasional necessary word, I should be grateful if they would use the Green Benches outside the Room so to do. I will always permit reasonable interventions, but interventions must not take the form of speeches. The opportunity is almost always there to catch the Chairman's eye and make a full speech if that is required. Ordinarily—this does not apply to stand part debates, but certainly applies to debates on amendments—once the mover of the amendment has wound up the debate on that amendment, the Chairman is unlikely to accept any further interventions.