Administration and Works Committee

Lord Jenkin of Roding Excerpts

Thursday 10th January 2013 Lords Chamber

There is a significant appetite among some in the foreign media for the views of oppressed people that are aired at some of the meetings held on the Parliamentary Estate, yet we are now being asked to reduce the number of possible locations of such meetings from three to one—a small conference room at some distance from the Palace of Westminster where you cannot even offer journalists a cup of tea. I suggest that we ought to give thought to ways of expanding the contacts we have with the media, and that reducing the means we now have would be moving in the wrong direction. I beg to move.

[Lord Jenkin of Roding]

My Lords, I shall not detain the House for more than a moment. I have great respect for my noble friend and I listened to his remarks with considerable sympathy. However, I make it very clear that I support the refusal to hold press conferences in Room G. It is one of the consequences of the overpopulation of this House that the number of committee rooms available to noble Lords for general purposes is under great pressure. That being the case, it is right that unofficial press conferences, however worthy—I totally understand the point made by my noble friend Lord Avebury—should be held elsewhere.

I asked my noble friend whether he had considered going to Millbank House. I made inquiries about this. The Archbishops’ Room in Millbank House holds a large number of people, and other facilities are available. It was suggested that access arrangements at Millbank House are too difficult if one wants to have a number of people. I do not accept that for one moment. I was very glad to hear the Chairman of Committees say that Millbank House could be another location. I hope that my noble friend Lord Avebury might be prepared to recognise that that is a considerable step in that direction for which he is calling, and may not feel it necessary to divide the House.

[Lord Pearson of Rannoch]

My Lords, will the noble Lord inform us of the capacity of Millbank House? That would help the debate.

[Lord Jenkin of Roding]

My Lords, I have held a number of meetings in the Archbishops’ Room at Millbank House. You can get at least 30 or 40 people in there—I do not know the exact figure. It would certainly be big enough to contain any reasonable press conference. It is a very good room with a large table and a lot of chairs around it. You can have an extremely good meeting in that room.

[Baroness Thornton]

With tea?