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Parliamentary Reform

EDM number 1595 in 2008-09, proposed by Michael Meacher on 04/06/2009.
Categorised under the topics of Constitution, Parliament and Parliamentary procedure.

That this House urges the Government to include within a constitutional renewal bill the election by secret ballot of a Business Committee of the House to arrange business whilst allowing proper time for Government legislation; the election of the Chairs and members of select committees by secret ballot, where priority is determined by the Liaison Committee; the right of the Chair of a select committee to table key recommendations of the committee for debate and vote by the House; the right of the House to establish its own independent commissions of inquiry and to ratify the membership and terms of reference of similar commissions appointed by Government; the election of an Estimates Committee for continuous examination of the value-for-money and effectiveness of the Government's expenditure programme; the annual election of the Whips by members of each political party; the right of select committees to ratify the nomination of Cabinet Ministers and to recall them where appropriate; the right of select committees to summon senior public appointees including permanent secretaries, key regulators, senior judges, police chiefs and ambassadors for pre-ratification hearings; the debate and voting upon by this House of petitions signed by a sufficient number of electors; the right of electors to recall an hon. Member who has been censured for a serious misdemeanour; the restriction of expenditure by each political party over a whole five-year term; and the enabling of small tax-free contributions to political parties by individual taxpayers.

This motion has been signed by a total of 21 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Michael Meacher04/06/2009Oldham West and RoytonLabourProposed
Lynne Jones08/06/2009Birmingham, Selly OakLabourSeconded
David Taylor08/06/2009North West LeicestershireLabourSeconded
Martin Caton08/06/2009GowerLabourSeconded
Elfyn Llwyd08/06/2009Meirionnydd Nant ConwyPlaid CymruSeconded
Robert Wareing08/06/2009Liverpool, West DerbyIndependentSeconded
Andrew Stunell08/06/2009Hazel GroveLiberal DemocratSigned
Stephen Williams09/06/2009Bristol WestLiberal DemocratSigned
Dai Davies09/06/2009Blaenau GwentIndependentSigned
David Drew09/06/2009StroudLabourSigned
Mark Lazarowicz09/06/2009Edinburgh North and LeithLabourSigned
Paul Holmes09/06/2009ChesterfieldLiberal DemocratSigned
Annette Brooke10/06/2009Mid Dorset and North PooleLiberal DemocratSigned
Frank Field10/06/2009BirkenheadLabourSigned
Mark Fisher10/06/2009Stoke-on-Trent CentralLabourSigned
Paul Flynn10/06/2009Newport WestLabourSigned
John Hemming11/06/2009Birmingham, YardleyLiberal DemocratSigned
Michael Clapham15/06/2009Barnsley West and PenistoneLabourSigned
Bill Etherington02/07/2009Sunderland NorthLabourSigned
Charles Kennedy03/07/2009Ross, Skye and LochaberLiberal DemocratSigned
Nick Harvey13/07/2009North DevonLiberal DemocratSigned

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