Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of bills in each of the previous five Parliaments that affected England alone and had no implications for any of the other nations in the United Kingdom.

The Government has not performed a retrospective assessment of bills introduced in previous Parliaments that affected England alone and had no implications for any other nations in the UK. Under the Government’s proposals on English Votes for English Laws, the application of the proposed new rules to future legislation will be a matter for the Speaker of the House of Commons, considering both the application of the legislation and whether or not the matters in question are devolved. The Speaker will certify bills as a whole and also clauses and schedules within bills under this test.

The Government’s proposals for English Votes for English Laws provide for certification of bills and clauses or schedules by the Speaker of the House of Commons based on the territorial application of the legislation and on the devolution settlement.