Points of Order

Helen Jones Excerpts

Thursday 24th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Helen Jones (Warrington North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. On Tuesday, a member of the trade union USDAW who was attending an event in this House was not allowed to enter because security officials objected to one of the slogans on the board he was bringing in. They did not object to his bringing in a board per se, but merely to the slogan, which said: “Child Benefit Frozen by the Tories”. The USDAW One was kept in a room near the security entrance until I went down to free him, when he was allowed to come through. Will you investigate this matter, Mr Deputy Speaker, and can it be made clear that entrance to this House should be denied only on the grounds of security, and not on the grounds of the views that people wish to express?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving me notice of her point of order. This is not a matter on which I can readily comment. I invite her to discuss it with the Serjeant at Arms. As the hon. Lady knows, we do not discuss security arrangements on the Floor of the House, but I hope that some arrangement may be come to.