Parliamentary Standards Bill

This has been a lively debate. I believe that we must act now to build on the interim measures that the former Speaker announced in his statement on 19 May. Given the public's concerns about the conduct of some Members of this House, it is incumbent on us to act decisively, and we need to keep coming back to that key point. From what we have heard in the debate tonight, I believe that the fundamental points are as follows. The current system of allowances clearly must be replaced. There should be independent scrutiny of our allowances and robust enforcement of the rules on financial interests to create a system in which our constituents and Members of this House can trust. We need, and will have, further discussion on the guidance issued to Members, to which the hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Grieve) referred, and on the declaration of outside interests, which so many hon. Members have mentioned. Many hon. Members referred to privilege. It is true that privilege plays an important role in facilitating open and honest discussion in the House. However, in relation to the three new offences created by the Bill, there is no reason why privilege should be used to prevent proceedings against a Member of Parliament simply because that evidence relates to proceedings in Parliament. The public's reaction to the events that have unfolded in recent months has made it clear that they expect certain basic standards of behaviour from us, and many comments were made by hon. Members about the scale and extent of public concern outside this House.