---

Parliamentary Standards Bill

The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. There are systems in place for ensuring that the Attorney-General is not involved in prosecutorial decisions about Members of Parliament. After all, Members of Parliament have been prosecuted in the past for other matters. We can therefore overcome that problem. However, while trying to be reasonable and respect the Secretary of State's point about showing that we take public anger seriously, we have to ask what clause 9 adds to the system of punishment that might be meted out under existing law for things that we do wrong. Subsection (3) and, to a lesser extent, subsection (2)—relating to the two new offences—raise serious and complex issues about how the House goes about its business and whether we can continue to enjoy article IX protection for what we say in the Chamber.