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MEPs: Passes

On 10 November 2009, the House debated the House Committee’s fourth report of the 2008-09 Session on parliamentary passes for UK Members of the European Parliament (HL Paper 170).¹ It was clear that the House was not willing to agree to the report’s recommendation that the right of UK MEPs to hold parliamentary passes should be withdrawn and, accordingly, Lord Tomlinson’s amendment inviting the committee to reconsider the matter was accepted without a vote. The committee has now reconsidered the issue. It was clear, not least for administrative and security reasons, that it would be preferable for the two Houses to operate identical rules in respect of parliamentary passes for UK MEPs. The Lord Speaker therefore wrote to the then chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee, Frank Doran MP, to ask that that committee reconsider its decision to withdraw the right of UK MEPs to have a parliamentary pass granting them access to the House of Commons. Mr Doran reported that the committee did not "feel it appropriate to revisit the issue". Notwithstanding this reply, the House Committee has agreed that this House should retain its existing resolution which entitles UK MEPs to a parliamentary pass. However, because of the decision taken by the House of Commons, it will be necessary to alter the appearance of UK MEPs’ parliamentary passes to make it clear that they grant access only to the House of Lords areas of the Parliamentary Estate. In addition, the new passes will operate pass readers only in the Lords areas. This work is already under way and the new style of pass will soon be issued to UK MEPs who have requested one. In the mean time, officials of both Houses are working together closely to ensure that the new arrangements bed in as smoothly and effectively as possible. "¹ Official Report, cols. 682-87."