From time to time, there is criticism of MPs that they never seem to be in the chamber.

The chamber is, of course, the most visible part of parliament, but the vast majority of the work that parliament does is outside the chamber, in committees, meeting with groups and organisations, lobbying minsters and the general background work any MP has to undertake. From time to time, parliament creates a new body and one that I have been a member of for the last 10 months is reporting its findings this week.

The Parliamentary Commission for Banking Standards has spent a huge amount of time looking into banking, with specific reference to standards. It is of no surprise that we find deep lapses of standards have been commonplace. But trying to find a solution to the problems is a deeply challenging task. Over the last ten months, we have asked more than 9,000 questions in 70 sessions, collected more than 5,000 pages of written evidence and produced a final report – Changing Banking for Good – that is some 600 pages long.

From a consumer viewpoint, such as anyone reading this column, the problem comes down to a fundamental mismatch of expectations. The consumer sees his or her bank as a long-term relationship, such as you would have with your GP: the bank sees it as a transactional arrangement like a retailer – what product can be sold next? How to change this across the broad spectrum of banks and banking products is more problematic.

We come up with a number of proposals. We want to see personal accountability by senior persons running banks. This would include a new licensing regime with new Banking Standards Rules that will ensure those who do harm are subject to a full range of sanctions. We want pay aligned with risk: never again can a banker keep his bonus whilst the taxpayer bails out a problem. This goes so far as to give the regulator the option to claw back deferred bonuses.

Perhaps the most significant headline grabber will be the call for a new criminal offence for senior persons of reckless misconduct in the management of a bank. Under this, if a senior bank manager brings down his organisation through reckless behaviour, he will go to prison.

The vast majority of people who work at banks are honest, decent people who want only to do an honest and good job – we meet them the whole time in the bank branches in Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley. But there is a cultural problem and these proposals will set a direction of travel that will result in restoring trust in banks.

CONTACT YOUR MP Email: mark.garnier.mp@parliament.uk Telephone: 020 7219 7198 or 01562 746771.

Write: 9a Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU, or House of Commons, Westminster, London