(APG0030)

Written evidence submitted by Lord Cormack

 

The senior deputy Speaker in the House of Lords, Lord McFall, has written to all Peers telling us of your inquiry into the rules governing the establishment and running of all party parliamentary groups.

 

Whilst I am a great believer in the value such groups can bring, I am concerned at their seemingly endless proliferation and at the manner in which some of them operate.  Let me be positive.  I belong to a number of well-established groups such as the CPA and the IPU and the British American Parliamentary Group, all of which have done invaluable work over many, many years.  When I was in the Commons I was chairman, for around fifteen years, of the British Finnish Group and that certainly did valuable work in strengthening relations between the United Kingdom and Finland.  In 1974 I founded the All Party Arts and Heritage Group, which still flourishes and has around 400 subscribing members.

 

I have always believed that such groups should be self-sufficient.  It is permissible to charge a small membership fee and that should cover the group’s expenditure. 

 

Unfortunately a number of groups are heavily subsidised from outside lobby and pressure groups which, although entirely reputable organisations, should not, I feel, be providing a secretariat or other help to all Party Parliamentary groups.

 

There are also groups where outsiders significantly outnumber parliamentarians at meetings.  I have always operated on the basis that parliamentary groups are for parliamentarians, from  both Houses, to meet and although it is entirely right and proper, and indeed desirable, that knowledgeable and distinguished speakers from outside should be invited to address meetings I do not think that the group should be a forum for outsiders with almost no

parliamentary presence.  I have known of meetings where there has been just one parliamentarian in the room and what that has meant, effectively, is that a free room has been provided for a lobby or pressure group within the Palace of Westminster.

 

During these troubled covid times when almost no-one is allowed in and where meetings of parliamentarians are, understandably, restricted in numbers is a good time to examine and draw up rather more careful rules. 

 

I make this submission in a constructive spirit stressing, as I did at the beginning, that properly constituted all party groups can be a real benefit both to Parliamentarians and to the wider community.

 

With all good wishes,

 

26 October 2020