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Speaker's Committee on the Search of Offices on the Parliamentary Estate

I beg to move,"That, following the search of a Member's office in the Parliamentary Estate by the police and the seizure of material therein, a committee be appointed to review the internal processes of the House administration for granting permission for such action, and to make recommendations for the future;""That the committee must not in any way prejudice any police inquiry or potential criminal proceedings and that therefore it will be adjourned immediately after choosing a chairman until the completion of any relevant inquiry or proceedings that may follow;""That the committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; to report from time to time; to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House; and""That the committee consist of seven members appointed by the Speaker reflecting the composition of the House." Mr. Speaker, in your statement last Wednesday, you asked for a motion to set up a Committee to review the matter of the seizure by the police of material belonging to the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green). The motion before the House sets up such a Committee, which would have all the powers of a Committee of the House to get papers and evidence, and would adjourn, after choosing a Chair, until after the completion of the police investigation or any court proceedings in this particular case. A number of issues are involved. The first is the immediate one of whether the papers and data of hon. Members are properly protected as of now. The second is what led up to the search of the hon. Gentleman's office. The third is whether the important constitutional principles at stake were properly protected in this particular case and whether they are protected for the future.