The Leader of the House this morning announced that, if necessary, we would get an extra day in committee on the Parliamentary Standards Bill and that the Government would table amendments to meet some of the concerns raised in debate on Wednesday.  That represents some progress but for anyone to suggest that this will enable us to scrutinise the Bill properly completely misses the point as to the nature of parliamentary scrutiny. 

Getting some extra time in committee has little benefit if we don’t have sufficient time in preparation for committee.  Between now and committee stage next Tuesday, not one committee will have time to take evidence on the Bill.  There have been no means available to find out what the public actually want of Parliament.  There is public disapproval of the present regime but we have no idea what scheme, if any, the public would favour in its place.  The Govermment are having to scramble to come up with amendments.  Members will have to see what they are before deciding if they need to table any of their own.  And we start committee stage on Tuesday. 

This is no way to legislate.  The public may well have criticised the Lords had we held committee stage over to the autumn.  Then, again, given the limited press coverage of this week’s proceedings, they may not have noticed.  Even if the media had criticised us, it would have allowed us to get the Bill in better shape – and to take into account the recommendations of the Committee of Standards in Public Life.   As I have said in response to a comment on an earlier post, I would rather have a bad press and good legislation rather than the other way round.  In an ideal world, it would be a good press and good legislation, but we cannot have everything.

I have yet to find a peer who thinks this Bill is anything but unsatisfactory.  I have had Labour peers coming up to me to say how bad it is (a category not confined to back-benchers);  I have had Liberal Democrat peers apologising for the line taken by their front bench; and Conservative peers regretting the front bench decision to abstain.  The Bill is friendless.  Rushing it through before we rise on 21 July is not going to allow us to do our job properly.