As the House will recall, it was agreed that the Speaker should make a brief statement at the beginning of each Session about the duties and responsibilities of hon. Members.

Our ancient privileges allow us to conduct our debate without fear of outside interference. In particular, we enjoy freedom of speech, in both Committee proceedings and debates on the Floor of the House. Parliamentary privilege is essential for proper democratic debate and scrutiny, and it should be exercised responsibly. It is up to each one of us to ensure, as individuals and collectively, that we do not misuse the rights that we have. They should be exercised in the public interest. We must ensure that we follow the letter and spirit of the code of conduct and related rules which we have approved to regulate our business.

Each Member is here to represent the views of his or her constituents and to participate in the process of democracy. We should ensure that every Member is heard courteously, regardless of the view that he or she is expressing.

Every member of the public has a right to expect that his or her Member of Parliament will behave with civility, in the best traditions of fairness, with the highest level of probity and with integrity. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] I am glad that you are listening.

I turn now to security, not only for Members of Parliament but for the staff of the House who work so hard on our behalf, and for those who are pass-holders. I expect every Member of the House to co-operate fully with those officials who are responsible for security, which ensures that our democratic process is not disturbed and visitors to Parliament can continually be made welcome.

As Members, we are aware that the boundary commissioner is looking constantly at constituency boundaries. Hon. Members have a duty to look after the constituents who elected them. Those boundaries do not change until the next election, so we must obey the convention of not involving ourselves with another Member’s constituency until that time.