From a correspondent”

“I have been keeping a watch on what my own MP, Hugo Swire, says in
parliament for the last 2 years using the “They Work for You” web site.
In that time, I have not seen Hugo say even one word about East Devon,
not a single, solitary word. He has frequently said things about Burma
and other far-flung parts of the world in his role as one of the Foreign
Office Ministers, but nothing at all in support the needs of his
constituency of East Devon.

I have heard it said fairly frequently that ministers cannot say
anything in parliament about their constituencies, and I thought I would
take a look and see what I could find to see whether this as true or
simply used by such MPs as a justification for them not saying anything.

It is the Ministerial Code:
that
governs the behaviour of ministers like Hugo Swire. This code says
things like:

“Ministers in the House of Commons must keep separate their roles as
Minister and constituency Member”, and “Ministers are provided with
facilities at Government expense to enable them to carry out their
official duties. These facilities should not generally be used for Party
or constituency activities.”

But nowhere does it say that ministers should abstain from speaking in
parliament about their constituency. This is (as far as I can tell) just
Urban Myth, apparently used by MPs who are also government ministers as
an excuse to spend all their time on ministerial duties and not have to
spend any time doing their day-job as a constituency MP.

Unless, of course, you can point to evidence to the contrary. ….