Oral Answers to Questions

Nic Dakin Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2014 Commons Chamber

The Leader of the House was asked—

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

3. What guidance he has given to his ministerial colleagues on making announcements to the House before the media.

[The First Secretary of State and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr William Hague)]

The ministerial code is clear. When Parliament is in Session the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance to Parliament, and I regularly remind my colleagues of this.

[Nic Dakin]

I thank the Leader of the House for his answer. He said the ministerial code is clear. That seems strange to me, because the statement we heard from the Chancellor yesterday had a familiar ring to it—I had read most of it in the Sunday papers. Will he clarify again whether the ministerial code should be observed rather than ignored?

[Mr Hague]

Well of course it should be observed, but I think the hon. Gentleman chooses a rather poor example for his argument. There was a great deal in the Chancellor’s statement yesterday that came as a complete surprise to this House and to the wider world, both in the economic forecasts of the Office for Budget Responsibility and in the many specific measures. The autumn statement truly showed that announcements are being made in Parliament.