Another U-turn on reform
Thursday, 25 June 2009 12:00 AM
By Alice Cannet
The government has pulled a sharp U-turn over its decision to restrain the actions of the committee in charge of overseeing the reform of parliament.
Labour ministers had been planning to prevent the committee from examining government business but leader of the house Harriet Harman decided to amend the motion this morning.
Lib Dem shadow leader of the house David Heath had put down an amendment to the motion yesterday so that the Wright committee would be allowed to look at governmental business.
But the motion, which was due for debate today, has now been moved to future business after Ms Harman called Mr Heath this morning saying she would include his amendment in her updated motion.
David Heath commented: "I am delighted that the leader of the house is prepared to talk to other parties about the Wright committee.
"It is a shame that time after time the government has to be dragged kicking and screaming to the brink before it is prepared to consult on these matters.
"The government always seems to want to decide first and consult later. It makes a nonsense of everything the prime minister says about a new approach to parliament.
"Perhaps after three U-turns in a matter of days it will finally dawn on Brown that his take it or leave it approach to reform won't wash anymore."
According to Labour MP Graham Allen, the committee was doomed from the start since it could not look at whether MPs should be allowed to choose when to debate government business.
He said: "Blacking out all government business from consideration by the Wright committee on reform of the House of Commons contradicts the prime minister's intention for authentic parliamentary reform.
"The creation of a parliamentary business committee, interacting with, but independent of, government is the beating heart of serious sustainable reform.
"How much time bills get, ensuring effective debate of government proposals, pre-legislative and post legislative scrutiny are the guts of real accountability.
He added: "Government talking the talk then undermining its credibility by the way it actually does things is unnecessary. In this case highly restricted terms of reference put to parliament to be slipped through on a "one line whip Thursday" is not the new start many parliamentarians had hoped for.
"If the public rhetoric is about change and the strengthening of parliament, the private agenda cannot be of government control being retained."
Chaired by Tony Wright, the 18-strong committee can consider or recommend the appointment of members of select committees and enable the public to initiate debates and proceedings in the House.
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