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Rh Letter dated 11 July 2022 from the Chair of the Committee to Mr Speaker

"Dear Mr Speaker,

As you will be aware, there has recently been speculation about whether, in the event that the House were to agree to a recommendation from the Committee of Privileges that a Member be suspended from the service of the House for 10 or more sitting days as a sanction for having committed a contempt, such a decision by the House would trigger the recall process under the Recall of MPs Act 2015 in the same way that a suspension following a report from the Committee on standards would.

Section 1 of the Recall of MPs Act provides that:

"(7) The reference in subsection (4) to the Committee on Standards is to any committee of the House of Commons concerned with the standards of conduct of individual members of that House.

(8) Any question arising under subsection (7) is to be determined by the Speaker."

The Committee would be grateful to know your determination as to whether the Committee of Privileges is a committee concerned with the standards of conduct of individual members to which the provisions of the Act would apply.

With best wishes,

Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP

Chair, Committee of Privileges"