Oral Answers to Questions

Diana Johnson Excerpts

Monday 26th July 2010 Commons Chamber

The Leader of the House was asked—

[Diana R. Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

5. What steps he plans to take to provide for pre-legislative scrutiny of proposed Government legislation.

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

The Government will continue to publish Bills in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny as opportunities arise. We have already announced that three Bills—on parliamentary privilege, House of Lords reform and defamation—will be published in draft.

[Diana R. Johnson]

During last Thursday’s business questions, the Leader of the House told me that pre-legislative scrutiny was “not possible” for all constitutional Bills in the first term of a Parliament. Has the hon. Gentleman had an opportunity to read the words of Professor Robert Blackburn, Professor Robert Hazell and Peter Riddell, who say that there is no justification for rushing through without pre-legislative scrutiny the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill when we return in September, other than the political expediency of the two coalition partners?

[Mr Heath]

Well, that is their opinion. It is perfectly clear that it is not possible for Bills to be produced in time to allow full pre-legislative scrutiny in the first 10 weeks of a new Government when those Bills are to be debated in the very near future; I would have thought that that was obvious to any Member of this House. We are clearly committed to using pre-legislative scrutiny whenever possible, but I repeat that it is clear that, with a new Government and a new House of Commons, there will be new Bills that cannot go through that procedure.