Business of the House

Jake Berry Excerpts

Thursday 22nd March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)]

May I start by saying that I have given notice to the right hon. Gentleman to whom I will refer in this question? I join my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (David Mowat) in calling for a debate on the morally repugnant use of service companies by those in public life to avoid paying their fair share of tax. In that debate, can we look in particular at the tax arrangements of the Labour candidate for Mayor of London and the recent publication of the accounts for the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown Ltd?

[Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Just before we move to the next business, there is one matter with which I should like to deal. In the course of business questions, the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Jake Berry) prefaced his question by indicating that he had notified the right hon. Member to whom he was about to refer in advance of coming to the Chamber. I simply want to say this to the hon. Gentleman and the House: advance notification to a Member of an intention to refer to that Member is, of itself, not sufficient; much depends on what is then said. I say for the benefit of the hon. Gentleman and the House that where an accusation or implication of possible improper conduct is made, that must be done either by a reference to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards or upon a substantive motion. It should not be done in the course of a question. That was wrong, and a discourtesy—unintentional, I am sure—to the House. Therefore, I invite the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen to apologise to the House for that discourtesy. He should now rise from his seat and apologise for that discourtesy, which I accept and am sure was unintentional.

[Jake Berry]

Mr Speaker, I apologise for an unintentional discourtesy to the House.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his apology. I think that deals with the matter.