British House of Lords will soon allow iPad use during debates

According to The Telegraph, peers in the British House of Lords will soon be able to use iPads and other mobile internet devices during debates. Under previous rules, members of the House of Lords weren't allowed to use any electronic devices, a restriction the Lords Administration and Works Committee said was "incomplete, outdated and contradictory."

For a trial period of one year, Lords will be able to use iPads, iPhones and other smartphones and e-readers "to access Parliamentary papers and other documents which are clearly and closely relevant to the business before the House," according to a report issued by the Lords Administration and Works Committee.

Inexplicably, though iPads and other internet enabled devices will be allowed, using Google will not be. The Telegraph suggests that the Google ban may be in the House of Lords' best interest if iPad use in the Italian Parliament is anything of a litmus test. Just last week, Italian MP Simeone Di Cagno Abbrescia was photographed surfing an escort agency's website on his iPad while Parliament was in session.