In a Report published today the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee calls for further reform of the House of Commons.
The Committees Report reviews progress since 2009 on the recommendations of the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons – known as the Wright Committee after its Chair, Dr Tony Wright – and looks forward.
The Chair of the Committee, Graham Allen MP, will be launching the report on the Floor of the House today, after Business Questions.
The Report concludes that:
- Commons select committees are more effective, and elections for committee Chairs and members, as recommended by Wright, have brought greater transparency and democracy.
- The Backbench Business Committee, another suggestion of Wright, has been a success, giving backbenchers the chance to decide the subjects of debates covering about a quarter of the House’s time.
- Another key Wright recommendation – a House Business Committee which would give backbenchers an influence on the rest of the House’s agenda – can be and should be introduced without delay. The Coalition Agreement said in 2010 that the Committee would be established by the third year of this Parliament.
- The House’s petitions procedure is failing to meet public expectations. There is too much confusion between the roles of Government and Parliament. The Committee argues that there is still a case for the establishment of a petitions committee and recommends that officials work up a detailed and costed proposition which could then be put to the House for its endorsement.
