A temperature test before entry into the House of Commons chamber for British MPs is among some of the procedures being put in place for a “hybrid” UK Parliament set to resume amid the coronavirus lockdown after Easter recess on Tuesday.
Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle had cleared the way for MPs to use video conferencing application Zoom for the first time in the Commons’ 700-year history following an agreement by parliamentary authorities last week.
Once formally passed by MPs on Tuesday, the hope is that only a limited number of MPs would physically come into the chamber, helping maintain the strict social distancing measures in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
"By initiating a hybrid solution, with steps towards an entirely virtual Parliament, we are enabling Members to stay close to their communities, while continuing their important work scrutinising the government,” said Hoyle, the Chair of the Commission in charge of parliamentary functioning.
“I do not want Members and House staff putting themselves at risk. By working virtually, this is our contribution to the guidance of stay home, protect the NHS and save lives,” he said.
According to ‘The Sunday Times’, Hoyle has discussed the idea of a temperature test with Public Health England as he wanted to screen people to “check they are fit and well” after a number of MPs and ministers, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, were struck with the deadly virus.
The use of Zoom, to be facilitated by eight screens fitted around the Commons chamber, will initially only work for urgent questions and statements by the government. But discussions are underway about introducing a virtual voting system so that legislation can also be passed over time.
"What we can’t have is that those in the chamber do something different from the MPs who are not there,” said Hoyle.
"We are currently looking at different voting systems, and our main aim is to make sure it will be as secure as possible, and that’s why we are taking serious security advice. Until we have agreed on a voting system, I would imagine that the usual channels will be looking to make sure we have the least number of votes possible,” he said.
Under other preparations for the Commons’ return next week, the chamber is being marked out to show MPs how far they must remain apart to observe social-distancing rules, with cards being placed to indicate which seats may be used.
Meanwhile, the House of Lords will open next week with virtual Oral Questions, Lords urgent questions, Statements and non-legislative debates held online to ensure the Upper House can also maintain current social distancing guidelines. The peers will use Microsoft Teams, which is integrated with Parliament's existing digital systems, to participate in virtual proceedings, the Lords said.
This also marks the first time members will be able to contribute to these proceedings without being physically in the Chamber of the House of Lords, with the help of Microsoft platforms.
Britain's death toll in the coronavirus pandemic registered another big daily spike of 888 to hit 15,464 on Saturday.
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