Skip to main content

Parliamentary Lobby Correspondents

Volume 458: debated on Wednesday 28 March 2007

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) how many passes were awarded to lobby correspondents in each year since 2002; (130106)

(2) to which individuals (a) press and (b) passes have been awarded; and which publication employs each;

(3) if he will list the categories of passes which have been awarded to lobby correspondents;

(4) what role (a) the Serjeant at Arms Department and (b) the Metropolitan police play in the awarding of passes to lobby correspondents;

(5) how many passes awarded to lobby correspondents have been revoked in the last five years; and for what reasons;

(6) under what circumstances an individual's press pass may be revoked;

(7) whether it is the policy of the House authorities to remove press pass privileges from anyone involved in the publication of information relating to the internal security of the House;

(8) what processes apply to (a) applying for and (b) issuing (i) standard press passes and (ii) lobby correspondent passes.

The number of passes in issue to lobby correspondents, including temporary passes, in each calendar year since 2002 is as follows:

Number

2002

261

2003

246

2004

256

2005

244

2006

242

2007

250

Details about which individuals have press passes and the publications they work for can be found at the parliamentary press gallery website at the following address:

http://www.thepressgallery.co.uk/.

Details about which individuals are lobby correspondents and the publications they work for can be found at the parliamentary press gallery website at the following address:

http://www.thepressgallery.co.uk/.

The Serjeant at Arms is responsible for awarding passes to lobby correspondents. This is carried out on his behalf by the Deputy Serjeant at Arms. The Metropolitan police have no role in awarding passes.

No passes awarded to lobby correspondents have been revoked in the last five years.

A press pass may be revoked if the individual constitutes a security risk to the House or if they fail to comply with the rules of the House.

If an individual was involved in the publication of information relating to the internal security of the House, consideration would be given to whether the individual constituted a security risk to the House or if they had breached the rules of the House.

There are no differences in the process for applying for and issuing standard press and lobby correspondent passes.