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Administration Committee

I assure the House that my hon. Friend and I are indeed very revolting. The reality is that it was true—we supported the choice of a Conservative Chairman, because we thought that he was, as he proved to be, an excellent Chairman. Indeed, his report on the privatisation of British Rail still stands as one of the best criticisms. If only his Government had followed such recommendations we might not be in the current mess. The matter is in the House’s hands. Why did Members, at the last opportunity, vote down taking the power back where it belongs? It is no use talking about the rights of Back Benchers if, when people are offered the opportunity, they either vote with their feet by going home, which is always a difficult political decision for many Members, or they vote to keep their chains. That is indescribably sad. A lot of Back-Bench powers have been lost. We have quietly allowed those in control to take away from us, with the acquiescence of those who should know better, several powers that meant that independent Members of Parliament could have an impact. We will regret that, and some of us regret it already. Some of us tend to stick on because we think that when the oral memory of the House is lost, new Members will not know what it is possible to do. Until we reach the point at which Members themselves restore the powers, we shall be in continuing difficulty.