Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Menzies Excerpts

Thursday 22nd March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of scrutiny of legislation.

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

6. What steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of scrutiny of legislation.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

7. What steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of scrutiny of legislation.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Heath]

In this Session, five Bills have had a Report stage taken over two days. Indeed, both the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill and the Finance (No. 3) Bill were considered over three days. This is more than in any Session of the previous Parliament, when there were none whatever in the first and last Sessions.

[Mark Menzies]

How many Bills had pre-legislative scrutiny in the last Session, and how did that compare with this Session? Will the Deputy Leader of the House make a statement on plans for the future?

[Mr Heath]

The Government have published nine draft measures this Session, and are committed to publishing more measures in draft in the next Session, with a view to pre-legislative scrutiny. Further specific announcements will be made at the start of the new Session. In the last Session under the previous Government, two Bills—just two—were published in draft.