MPs publish report on the timetable of voting reforms Bill
2 August 2010
The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee says in a report published today that the Government’s timetable for the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill has denied the Committee an adequate opportunity to scrutinise the Bill before second reading
The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill was presented to the House of Commons on Thursday 22 July and the second reading of the Bill will take place on Monday 6 September.
The Fixed-term Parliaments Bill was also presented to the House on Thursday 22 July.
In a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Committee Chair Graham Allen MP said:
"Your legislative timetable has put me and my committee in an extremely difficult position. When the House agreed to establish the committee, it did so, in the words of the Deputy Leader of the House, “to ensure that the House is able to scrutinise the work of the Deputy Prime Minister”. In the case of these two bills you have denied us any adequate opportunity to conduct this scrutiny."
The Committee has held three evidence sessions on issues connected with the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill. It will take further evidence in September.