Commons committee wants Twitter in the House

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The ongoing debate on whether electronic devices – such as smartphones and tablets – should be used in the House of Commons came a step closer to concluding today, thanks to a select committee inquiry.

The Procedures Committee published a report recommending handheld electronic devices should be allowed within the chamber and concluded using Twitter during a debate was an acceptable activity.

Although the committee sought the opinion of all members, it admitted the response was poor. However, the arguments both for and against were strong.

The report claimed there was a “respectable argument” for why electronic devices should remained outlawed. Members of Parliament (MPs) claimed devices would work as a distraction from the matter in hand, members of the public might thinks MPs weren’t paying full attention to the debate and it could allow external influence on parliamentary procedures.

On the other hand, allowing them would give MPs the opportunity to multi-task - meaning they would be more likely to attend debates - could let them refer to electronic notes rather than printed copies and stop them looking out of touch with the public who use smartphones – and in some cases, tablets – as a part of daily life.

“We therefore conclude that Members should be allowed to use electronic hand-held devices for any purpose when in the Chamber whilst not speaking, and that the current ban on the use of hand-held electronic devices as an aide memoire, whilst speaking in a debate, should be ended,” read the report.

The committee concluded the current rules should be replaced with the following:

“That hand-held electronic devices (not laptops) may be used in the Chamber, provided that they are silent, and used in a way that does not impair decorum; that Members making speeches in the Chamber or in committee may refer to electronic devices in place of paper speaking notes; and that electronic devices, including laptops, may be used silently in committee meetings, including select committees.”

When it came to Twitter, the conclusion was similarly in favour. The committee said “different views [had] been expressed” but added: “Tweeting about proceedings from the galleries is in our view no different in degree from presenters commenting on live broadcasts of proceedings or indeed from tweeting or blogging about proceedings when watched from outside the Chamber.”

As a result, it recommended Twitter be allowed in the House of Commons but, due to the difficulties around policing its use, MPs had to “use their good sense and behave with courtesy, particularly in not tweeting messages which would be disorderly if said in the House.”

The committee also said whilst tweeting from public committee meetings was perfectly fine, private select committee meetings should be kept that way and “tweeting would of course be a breach of privilege in the same way as disclosure by any other means.”

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