MPs vote to reform Parliament – and reject Tory/Labour plan to water down plans

By Mark Pack | Fri 5th March 2010 - 11:10 am

From the BBC:

MPs have backed a series of reforms aimed at beefing up the ability of backbenchers to create new laws and hold the government to account.

Proposals backed include a creating a backbench committee to set a timetable for Commons business.

A bid by the Labour and Tory front benches to restrict the committee to setting a timetable for just 15 days per session was rejected by MPs…

The reforms were drawn up by Labour MP and chairman of the public administration committee Tony Wright in the wake of last year’s expenses scandal…

MPs also agreed to back proposals ensuring the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee – the key watchdog that scrutinises government spending – is always an opposition MP (to ensure the government is held properly to account), and to eject any member of a committee who does not attend at least 60% of meetings.

But they rejected an amendment put forward by the Conservative leadership and supported by the government, to restrict a new backbench committee to timetabling just 15 days’ business per session.

Lib Dem frontbencher David Heath said it was “too restrictive” and it was opposed by members of Tony Wright’s cross-party reform committee…

MPs also approved a process for electing deputy speakers – which have been chosen by party whips in the past.

Mention should also be made of Evan Harris, who has been particularly active at supporting these reforms. Well down David, Evan and others.

3 Comments

Richard Gadsden 5th Mar '10 - 11:26am

Stunning. This is a bigger change than I think anyone expected. If the whips are prevented from nobbling the business committee then the Commons might just be able to scrutinise Government properly.

One question – my understanding is that Commons time is now divided into Government time and business committee time (and presumably also some “fixed” time like Question Time, etc) – can the time under the business committee’s control be allocated to extend scrutiny of Public Bills beyond the guillotine, or can the Government still cut scrutiny short?
Dave Page 5th Mar '10 - 3:17pm

I am very encouraged by this development. A number of pieces of Database State legislation, including the Identity Cards Act, were rushed through by the Government with insufficient time for scrutiny.
HarryD 6th Mar '10 - 7:48am

Very pleasantly suprised – the last testament of a sick parliament?