House of Commons Evidence Session

We’ve now received some more information on how the House of Commons evidence session is likely to work. This information comes from a Clerk at the House of Commons, and has been passed to us by Why Not Manston? chairman Nicholas Reed.

The session will take place on Monday 2nd February from 16:00, and will follow this format:

1) Evidence from a panel of businesses including RiverOak, Discovery Park and ‘Party B’ in the CPO process.

2) Evidence from the politicians, obviously including MP Sir Roger Gale.

3) Evidence from the societies and groups invited, who we believe to the No Night Flights campaign group, the Save Manston Airport campaign group and finally the Why Not Manston? campaign group. The societies have been put last so they are able to comment on all earlier evidence given.

The session is likely to last about two hours, but due to the large number of people expressing interest, it may go on longer. If you wish to attend, it is advisable to turn up in plenty of time to pass through the security measures in place. The Clerk at the House of Commons says he has only seen one occasion in thirty years when members of the public have been denied due to lack of space.

The media, including TV crews, have asked to attend so it may very well be shown on the news. It’s also likely to be broadcast on the BBC Parliament channel though perhaps not live depending on what else is happening at the time. The entire meeting will be webcast, which will be the most accessible option for a lot of people.

We hope to have informed you of sufficiently. As always, we’ll bring you more news as it becomes available.