Member News
By Lesley Foottit - 16th October 2009
Parliament resumed its work this week, with a sombre prime minister's questions at the top of the agenda.
With the continuing row over MPs' expenses in the background, low key exchanges saw Gordon Brown pay tribute to the British soldiers who died in Afghanistan over the summer.
He read out the names of the 37 personnel who died since the House rose in July.
And the subdued mood continued during exchanges with the Conservative leader.
David Cameron said the list is a "very sombre reminder" of the sacrifices made.
The Tory leader also called for a re-examination of the military covenant.
On Thursday, Commons Speaker John Bercow asserted his position as he reprimanded defence secretary Bob Ainsworth over the publication of a report that heavily criticised military procurement procedures.
It concluded that the current equipment procurement programme was "unaffordable on any likely projection of future budgets".
The damning review - carried out by former Ministry of Defence adviser Bernard Gray - was commissioned last year by then defence secretary John Hutton.
The government initially resisted pressure to publish the report, but many of its conclusions were leaked over the summer.
Bercow criticised Ainsworth was for publishing the report only one hour before a Commons debate on defence policy.
Bercow said it was "rank discourtesy" to issue the review at that time when it had been written months ago.
And shadow defence secretary Liam Fox accused the government of attempting to suppress the report over the summer.
Earlier in the week, Bercow confirmed that there was "no question" of proceedings in the House being inhibited by court action.
John Bercow spoke out after the Guardian newspaper was on Monday told it could not report details of a written answer tabled by a Labour MP.
Paul Farrely's question concerned whisteblowers and press freedom.
The legal threats were dropped on Tuesday, but Farrely raised the matter with the Speaker as a point of order.
Bercow responded: "If you want to pursue this as a matter of privilege there is an established procedure of raising it with me in writing."
On Thursday, former cabinet secretary Lord Turnbull said the appointment of General Sir Richard Dannatt as an adviser to the Conservatives was a "major error of judgment".
Lord Turnbull, Sir Gus O'Donnell's predecessor as head of the home civil service, was giving evidence on Thursday at a Commons public administration committee hearing on ministerial appointments.
He said General Dannatt's decision to accept the invitation from Conservative leader David Cameron to work for him would call into question the political impartiality of other military chiefs, some of whom were furious about the announcement.
"You talk to the admirals and they are incandescent about this," he said.
Also in Parliament this week, the Lords communications committee questioned executive chairman of ITV Michael Grade on the threat of piracy.
Although ITV is free, and therefore the risk of great monetary loss through piracy is lessened, Grade still believes that it poses a threat and new legislation could be required.
He said: "Our lifeblood is our intellectual property and we have to protect it."
Asked if there is a remedy for the problem, he said: "I think it is extremely difficult. There are a number of legislative tweaks that would provide a greater deterrent for those who are thinking of pirating."
The topical issue of product placement was also raised at Wednesday's meeting.
Although product placement accounts for five to eight per cent of advertising revenue in America, Grade would not be pinned down to figures on how it would affect British broadcasters beyond saying that it would start slowly as advertisers learn how to use it.
"The truth is that nobody knows," he said. "Product placement is far less regulated in America and I suspect that we'll end up with tighter rules."
On Wednesday the Conservatives warned that delays with student loans are causing "widespread and deep concern", prompting a rare apology from the government.
In a Commons debate, David Willetts warned of financial uncertainties facing students who are starting university this year because of delays processing loan applications.
He added: "The situation is a shambles, and it is causing enormous distress to many students."
Willetts accused ministers of "trying to avoid responsibility" for the situation by "hiding behind the Student Loans Company".
Higher education minister David Lammy told MPs he was sorry for the students who have been left without loans and have received poor customer service.
"We do not pretend that nothing ever goes wrong," he told MPs.
Parliament's newest MP, Chloe Smith, also delivered her maiden speech during the Opposition debate on higher education.
She pledged to resolve issues in her constituency of Norwich North that have "not changed in decades".
"I sincerely hope that other problems that are raised with me will take less than 70 years to be resolved," she added.
Smith also paid tribute to her predecessor, Labour's Ian Gibson, who stepped down following criticism of his expenses claims.
The youngest MP in the House of Commons told her peers that she would seek to make changes for her constituency.
Smith told the Commons that she would be paying particular attention to NHS facilities, housing and transport over the next nine months.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd