To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will review the green card system used to alert hon. and right hon. Members about visitors to assess its effectiveness as a messaging tool; and if the Commission will take steps to ensure hon. Members’ offices are alerted by telephone as soon as a green card is submitted. (192479)

I will ask the Serjeant at Arms to review the green card system and report back to the House of Commons Commission.

When a visitor submits a green card during a normal business day, a Doorkeeper will endeavour to reach the Member or his/her staff by telephone.

During mass lobbies, when the number of green cards submitted can exceed 1,000, it is not possible to make a personal telephone call in each case. The hon. Member may wish to be aware that when green cards are received in Members’ Lobby during mass lobbies there are a number of options for being informed about the arrival of constituents.

Messages can be sent via:

pager

text to mobile phone

e-mail

fax

illumination of a red flashing light on the Member’s desk telephone, or the Member’s staff telephone, indicating that there is an item on the Message Board in Members’ Lobby.

Additionally, a Doorkeeper will take the green card messages around the Palace and the Portcullis House atrium to try to deliver them to Members personally. For further information, and to confirm how they wish to receive messages, Members are invited to contact the Messaging Administrator on extension 5678. Leaflets about this service are also available from the Doorkeepers in the Members’ Lobby.