Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 22 January 2001.
Mr Alan Howarth
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) (Arts)
12:00,
22 January 2001
Access to all the arts, regardless of age, geography or financial circumstance, is one of my Department's key policies, and one to which the substantial increase in the Arts Council of England's budget of £100 million by 2003–04 has provided a valuable boost. The Arts Council's "spheres of influence" policy, which I commend, is working to increase access to opera and ballet across the country. The policy maximises national coverage by pairing individual touring companies and receiving theatres, ensuring that high-quality opera and ballet take place in each region.
Pairing is an arrangement between two MPs of opposing parties that allows them, with the agreement of the Pairing Whips, to miss occasional votes in the House. If two Members from opposite sides of the House both agree to miss a vote, then by agreeing to differ they would cancel out each other's vote, so neither Member need turn up. MPs are generally only allowed to pair on votes that are not three-line whips.
Normally, the relationship between pairs is long-lasting and the system brings together some strange bedfellows. Labour MP Marjorie Mowlam and Conservative Cabinet minister Michael Portillo were an established `Pair' before the 1997 General Election.
It is often difficult for new MPs to find an available backbencher to pair with.
Where the government side has a large parliamentary majority, some MPs will be without a pair so, except for crucial votes (some three-line whips), a number of unpaired MPs may be allowed to be absent at specified times on a rota basis. This is known as a bisque.
