Conservative MP diagnosed with breast cancer tells Rees-Mogg to stop thinking MPs working from home are 'shirking' duties
Tracey Crouch, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, calls on him to "urgently rethink" the virtual participation rules.
Thursday 12 November 2020 16:31, UK
Jacob Rees-Mogg has been told to stop thinking MPs who are working from home are "shirking" their duties.
Conservative MP Tracey Crouch, who revealed in June that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, called on the Commons leader to "urgently rethink" the rules around virtual participation.
Ms Crouch voiced her disappointment at not being able to participate in a Westminster Hall debate on the future of breast cancer services and the impact of COVID-19 on diagnosis.
The MP for the Kent constituency of Chatham and Aylesford, who has been working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, told the Commons that the rules around virtual participation meant MPs with "real and current life experience" of the disease were "disappointingly unable to participate" in the debate.
The former minister continued: "Now, while I respect [Mr Rees-Mogg's] commitment to traditional parliamentary procedures, I'm sure if he was on the backbenches and not the fine specimen of health and fitness he clearly is, he would be arguing forcefully for members to be able to contribute more often in proceedings by modern technology.
"Perhaps even currying favour with you, Mr Speaker [Sir Lindsay Hoyle], by suggesting that not every contribution to a debate requires an intervention.
"Given that hybrid proceedings have been extended, would he please stop thinking those of us at home are shirking our duties - in fact, quite the opposite - and urgently reconsider virtual participation, even if just for general backbench and Westminster Hall debates."
Mr Rees-Mogg said in response that he wished Ms Crouch well and "I think the whole House joins me in praying for her swift recovery".
"I think the point with Westminster Hall is that that was brought back at a point at which the broadcasting facilities were already being fully utilised, so it wasn't an issue then of whether we wanted to do it or not, it simply wasn't an option, and the demand to bring back Westminster Hall was great across all parts of the House," he told MPs.
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Mr Rees-Mogg said the government was trying to strike a balance "between the needs of honourable members and the needs of the House as a whole to proceed with its business".
He went on: "And with debates, we do need to have the proper holding to account of ministers which is the purpose of the debates and to have the interventions that make a debate rather than a series of statements.
"So it is a question of striking a careful balance in these difficult times between ensuring Parliament can serve its constituents in full and making sure that members can complete their duties as safely and as effectively as possible."