Oral Answers to Questions

Paul Flynn Excerpts

Thursday 14th June 2012 Commons Chamber

The Leader of the House was asked—

[Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab)]

2. What progress he has made on the implementation of the Wright proposals on House of Commons reform in the last 12 months.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Office of the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr David Heath)]

This Government have successfully implemented recommendations to introduce elections to Select Committee membership, established a Backbench Business Committee and, within the last 12 months, introduced an e-petition system to achieve a greater degree of public participation. The majority of the remaining recommendations of the Wright Committee are a matter for the House rather than the Government.

[Paul Flynn]

Can we improve the choreography of the parliamentary week by doing what the Wright proposals suggested—moving Prime Minister’s Question Time to Thursdays, allowing Wednesdays to be used for the increasingly important Back-Bench business debates?

[Mr Heath]

As the hon. Gentleman probably knows, the Procedure Committee is now completing and in the very late stages of production of a report on the parliamentary calendar. We would prefer to wait and see what suggestions the Procedure Committee makes rather than taking a unilateral view on what is best for the House.