PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament

1449 26 MARCH 2013
1450
House of Commons
Tuesday 26 March 2013
The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock
PRAYERS
[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]
BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS
LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND TRANSPORT FOR
LONDON (NO.2)BILL [LORDS](BY ORDER)
Consideration of Bill, as amended, opposed and deferred
until Tuesday 16 April (Standing Order No. 20).
Oral Answers to Questions
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
The Deputy Prime Minister was asked—
Devolution
1. Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): When
he expects that the report from the commission on the
consequences of devolution for the House of Commons
will be published. [149754]
2. Stephen Phillips (Sleaford and North Hykeham)
(Con): What progress the Government have made on
resolving the West Lothian question. [149755]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Miss Chloe
Smith): With this, I will also answer Question 2. The
McKay commission, which the Government established
to consider how the House of Commons deals with
legislation that affects only part of the UK, reported
yesterday. We are grateful to the commission for its
work. This is an important issue, which is why the
Government asked the expert commission to look at it.
The report presents a positive step forward, and we will
give it very serious consideration before responding
substantively.
Harriett Baldwin: I, too, thank the McKay commission
for such an erudite report. The commission outlines a
principle: that decisions at UK level with a separate and
distinct effect for England should normally be taken
only with the consent of a majority of MPs for
constituencies in England. Will the Minister argue with
her boss, who is a passionate believer in political and
constitutional reform, to implement that sensible principle
in the next Session?
Miss Smith: I commend my hon. Friend for her work
on this important matter—she has campaigned long
and hard and taken the time to go into the detail. As I
have said, the Government take the report extremely
seriously. We believe it is a positive step forward, and I
am happy to talk to all members of the Government
about its merits and otherwise.
Mr Speaker: I call Stephen Phillips. Not here.
Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab): Does the Minister
accept that constituents of mine who use the health
service in England, work in the public sector in England
and use public transport in England, but who are
represented by me as a Welsh Member of Parliament,
want a say on matters relating to England? Does she
accept that there are problems, but not always solutions?
Miss Smith: I ought to accept that the right hon.
Gentleman wants to do a very good job for his constituents,
which I am sure he does. However, I note that the
McKay commission report refers to England matters
and England and Wales matters. Those serious issues
require extensive consideration.
13. [149767] Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) (Con):
Next September’s referendum will, I hope, deliver a
substantial no vote against separation. May I suggest
that that would be an ideal time to implement the
McKay commission’s sensible proposals and evolve the
devolution settlement into one that will be acceptable
on both sides of the border?
Miss Smith: I thank my hon. Friend for his contribution.
I hear his view on the timing of what the Government
must do next. We will take that decision seriously alongside
the substantive issues in the report. I agree with him and
many others that the people of Scotland should choose
to stay in the UK next September, and am confident
they will do so.
Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
(SNP): I wonder whether the resolving of the West
Lothian question will help us to understand why the
Liberal Democrats voted against air passenger duty in
opposition, but voted for it while in government, as we
saw last night.
Miss Smith: I do not believe that even I could persuade
the McKay commission to cover that level of detail.
However, as I said in answer to the previous question,
the people of the UK are stronger together than they are
apart. I hope he transfers that message to his constituents.
Mr Speaker: Order. As I think the House knows, the
hon. Gentleman was practising the shoehorning technique,
which was as mischievous as it was just about orderly.
Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD): The biggest
threat to the UK might be not the Scottish referendum
next year, but the increasing sense in England that the
current constitutional settlement is not a fair one. Does
my hon. Friend agree that we already have two different
classes of MPs, in the sense that Scottish and Welsh
MPs have colleagues in the Scottish Parliament and
Welsh Assembly who perform some of the role that
English MPs do?