Reform Of The Speakership And Select Committees

EDM number 1627 in 2008-09, proposed by Edward Leigh on 10/06/2009.
Categorised under the topics of House of Commons and Speaker.

That this House believes that the Government should not control all the time on the floor of the House; considers that Parliament should be reinstated as an independent forum by empowering the Speaker, select committees and backbenchers; further believes that the Speaker, through a business committee of the whole House, should determine a significant part of debate on the floor of the House, whilst leaving adequate time for the Government to get its business through, to enable select committees and hon. Members to make substantive motions as well as Government and opposition parties; further believes that the Speaker should effectively become the non-partisan manager of the House, liaising with Government and opposition business managers; further considers that select committees, as well as scrutinising Government departments, should be upgraded to an advice and consent role on senior public appointments; further believes that Government should have to respond in detail to all select committee recommendations; further considers that select committee chairs should be selected by secret ballot of the whole House within the context of party balance; and further believes that select committees should be entitled to receive the kind of support from the National Audit Office and the Scrutiny Unit currently given to the Public Accounts Committee.

This motion has been signed by a total of 103 MPs.