MPs get green light to tweet during Commons debates

Members can use Twitter and smartphones so long as they 'do not not impair decorum'

The Houses of Parliament has given permission for MPs to use electronic devices and Twitter in the House of Commons.

The House of Commons' Procedure Committee had been debating the use of such technology, as Computing reported in January, and has now concluded that hand-held electronic devices, but not laptops, may be used in the Chamber, provided that they are silent, and used in a way that does not impair decorum.

The Committee added that tweeting about proceedings from the gallery is no different from presenters commenting on live broadcasts of proceedings or from tweeting or blogging about proceedings when watched from outside the Chamber.

"While tweeting from inside the Chamber is clearly a more sensitive matter, we consider that it would be inconsistent to ban this one practice while advocating the approach [in other quarters]," the Procedure Committee said in its latest report.