Evidence session

A week today, between 215pm and 245pm, I’ll be giving evidence to a joint inquiry into grouse shooting by the Petitions Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. It’s not a long time, but we’ll see how it goes.

You can see how it goes by attending in person or by watching on the parliament channel or by reading all about it a little later in Hansard.

To attend in person you need to turn up at the front door of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), tell the nice policeperson where you are going, walk down the ramp past the statue of Oliver Cromwell and pass through the airport-style security area and out the other side. Then walk around and into the large open space of Westminster Hall (the oldest part of parliament and where monarchs and others have lain in state), up the steps at the end (and you are now, maybe 15 minutes later, c20 yards from that nice policeperson again) and turn left along the ornate corridor which takes you into the Central Lobby which sits between the Houses of Commons and Lords.  Take a moment and sit on the black leather seats. See whether anyone you recognise walks past. This is where many TV interviews have been recorded – you will have watched some of them. Look up and you will see depictions of the four saints of the four UK countries; St George, the warrior looking towards the House of Commons, St David, the orator, looking towards the Lords and there is a joke about where the other two are looking, if you know it you can smile before moving onwards and turning right to go up the stone steps to the Committee Corridor which stretches along the back of the building and which overlooks The Thames (but there are no picture windows for you to spot the Cormorants flying past).  I can’t tell you whether we are to the right or left as that hasn’t been decided. When you find the right committee room you’ll wait outside, and I should be there too (I’ll be slightly nervous).  Members of the committee will enter by one door and then the witnesses will be called and after that you can fill up the public benches. There’s usually room for c40 people or so – and you can’t book. It is rare for there to be a big crowd but…you never know.  And you might be sitting next to a grouse moor owner, of course.

And then (with your mobile phone turned off) you can sit on the hard wooden benches (or seats) and watch the evidence session.  Giving evidence will be myself and Jeff Knott from the RSPB for the first 30 minutes and then Liam Stokes from the Countryside Alliance and someone, as yet unnamed, from the Moorland Association for the second 30 minutes. The time will whizz by. I’m not sure when the evidence submitted in writing will be published – I think it is usually after rather than before the oral hearing.

If you don’t have far to travel, it’s worth it. Just being in the building is a thrill.  But there is just the chance that you won’t get in if lots of people try to attend. I’ve never known that to happen – but sometimes it must. And some of these sessions are held over the road in the modern Portcullis House although that is not the norm.

 

PS we will know very soon when the actual debate will take place.  Watch the Petitions Committee webpage where the details will be revealed.

 

 

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