'Relax TV rules covering Commons'

The BBC was reprimanded for shots of the powder attack

The way Parliament is televised needs to be shaken up so viewers can see how MPs react to barbs and criticisms in debates, says an influential committee.

Lord Puttnam's commission of MPs, peers and journalists says more needs to be done to engage viewers.

Under current rules, filming of debates is strictly controlled and "reaction shots" are generally not shown.

Labour peer Lord Puttnam said there was a "constitutional crisis" as MPs were weak in keeping check on governments.

Close-ups

The filmmaker's commission, set up by the Hansard Society after turnout in the 2001 general election fell to 59%, examined how Parliament communicates with voters.

Turnout in this month's election rose, but only slightly, to 61%.

The report says Parliament should have a single communications service to highlight interesting debates.

It should also take control of managing its own affairs rather than be dominated by the party leaderships, it says.

The report says there needs to be a review of the technical language used in Parliament.

"Parliamentary language is often obscure and confusing, reinforcing the view that Parliament is relevant only to a bygone age," it says.

Web 'anoraks'

Lord Puttnam said Parliament's current website was an "anorak site" which did not allow the public to search for information on specific issues, such as climate change.

The commission is also concerned that television and webcast viewers often cannot find out when debates are due to start.

And it says: "The rules of television coverage in the chambers should be relaxed to allow, for example, further reaction shots, appropriate use of close-ups, more panning shots of back benches and a wider range of options during divisions.

The report says ceremony should be limited to special occasions

"It should be an explicit objective of parliamentary coverage not just to inform but to interest and engage the viewer."

The report says the BBC has been severely reprimanded twice recently for its coverage.

The corporation showed a slow-motion shot of purple powder being thrown at Tony Blair by fathers' campaigners.

It also screened a wide-angle shot of pro-hunt protesters invading the Commons chamber.

Both slow motion and wide angle shots are forbidden under the current rules.

Media responsibilities

The report says the media should use the changes to enhance their coverage of Parliament.

The government should require the BBC to be explicit about how it plans to report Parliament in an accessible way, with the BBC Parliament channel given more resources, it says.

Parliament should also be made more accessible to non-political reporters, such as health specialists.

Ex-Sun newspaper editor David Yelland said the decline in election turnout and falling newspaper sales could be related.

He pointed to the "symbiotic relationship" between journalists in the parliamentary Lobby and politicians.

"The public see the media and the political class as the same thing," said Mr Yelland.

'Control freaks'

Lord Puttnam said: "People's regard for their own individual MP has never been higher but somehow that doesn't translate into respecting them as parliamentarians.

"And that means we've got something of a constitutional crisis.

"We've got an executive with increasing and enormous powers but we don't have Parliament with sufficient self-confidence or sufficient relationship with the public at large to check those powers."

The report says MPs should try to improve teaching about Parliament.

But criticism came from Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Winterton, chairman of the Commons procedure committee, who said the central problem remained untouched.

"It is not Parliament itself which is failing the people," he said. "It is the political parties. They are now control freaks."