Private Members’ Bills: Money Resolutions

Paula Sherriff Excerpts

Monday 21st May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle]

rose—

[Paula Sherriff (Dewsbury) (Lab)]

Will the Leader of the House give way?

[Andrea Leadsom]

I want to make a bit of progress and then I will give way some more.

I now turn to private Members’ Bills specifically. It is absolutely right that Back-Bench Members promote legislation on causes that they and their constituents believe in. However, as Winston Churchill once said:

“Not every happy thought which occurs to a Member of Parliament should necessarily find its way on to the statute book.”

Changes to the law are achieved by way of private Members’ Bills, but it is an important principle that they should make progress only when the ideas behind them have been thoroughly debated and Members are able to win sufficient support from right across these Benches. I gently remind the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton that it is for the Government of the day to initiate financial resolutions. That is not new, it is not unusual, and it is clearly a constitutional right set out in “Erskine May”. I now give way to the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Paula Sherriff).

[Paula Sherriff]

I thank the Leader of the House. Does she agree that it would be appropriate to lay the money resolution and allow this House to debate it in the usual way, and then, if the Government wished, they could vote against it?

[Andrea Leadsom]

I want to come on to talk about some of the excellent PMBs that are finding their way through—[Interruption.] In specific response to the hon. Lady, money resolutions are brought forward at the appropriate time, and it is for the Government of the day to initiate those money resolutions.