I attended a Hansard Society lecture on Wednesday of last week given by the Speaker, John Bercow, on revitalising the chamber of the Commons. You can read the lecture here. He identified various ways in which more members could be attracted to the chamber to participate. In response to a question, he expressed support for select…
Last Wednesday in Grand Committee we had a debate on a report from the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee. The report was on post-implementation reviews of secondary legislation. It may sound a dry and complex topic, but it is extremely important. A large volume of law each year takes the form of secondary, rather than…
Some readers have already begun to comment, in the thread to the preceding post, on the ministerial reshuffle as it affects the House of Lords. There will now be three peers in the Cabinet, two of them departmental ministers. The most senior is Lord Mandelson, who now heads a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which…
Tabling questions to the Government can serve one of several purposes. One is is to ensure that an issue is drawn to the attention of a minister. The matter may be important but not one that has fully engaged the attention of ministers. The purpose is thus served before the minister has even come to the dispatch box.…
Baroness Murphy has already commented on the allegations in The Sunday Times made against four peers. Both the Leader of the House, Baroness Royall, and the Leader of the Opposition, Lord Strathclyde, have said that the allegations are such as to justify an immediate and thorough inquiry. The House has in place the mechanism for…
