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Administration Committee

My dear, well educated and hon. Friend does occasionally display a degree of naiveté that I would hardly think possible in one so intelligent. Would that events took place as he describes. One thing that I deeply regret is the real erosion by both major parties of the rights of Back Benchers. When I first came here, it was possible on Fridays to vote on private Members’ Bills—which could involve very controversial legislation—not because one party wanted that to happen but because the House wanted it to happen. When I came here, it was possible to accept that Select Committees chose their own Chairmen, although that has worked against me. It was also possible for Back Benchers to influence Government policy in a number of ways.