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Report from the House of Commons Reform Committee on Rebuilding the House

I am sorry but I will not give way, because I have a limited amount of time available to me and I am keen that the Government have their fair share too. We heard an excellent intervention from my right hon. Friend the Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight), who spoke of the reform process needing to be an ongoing one. My hon. Friend the Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin), who is a key signatory to the amendment to motion 9, spoke of the need to restore the balance of power between the Executive and Parliament, concluding with the powerful point that a strong Government can come with a strong Parliament. My hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) gave a thoughtful speech, in which he enumerated the reasons for the existing balance of power being against Parliament and provided a possible way forward. The hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) accepted the proposed reforms, but struck a critical tone in her speech and also spoke of reforms beyond the report, such as the need for us to have more clips on YouTube. The hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) was candid in saying that he had not intended to take part in this debate at the outset—given the subject at hand, it was hardly surprising to hear cries of "Whips' influence". My hon. Friend the Member for Broxbourne (Mr. Walker) gave a passionate speech, in which he reminded us that we are not delegates, but representatives. The hon. Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) spoke of her experiences in the House when she was first elected compared with now, citing the timetabling of the business of the day as a prime example. The hon. Member for Cambridge (David Howarth), who pointed out that he was a member of the Wright Committee, spoke of empowering Back Benchers, particularly those on the Government side—that was greeted with approval from Labour Members. The hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) emphasised the need for reform by making reference to inquorate Select Committee meetings. My hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) gave a typically passionate speech in which, as would be expected, he managed to mention the Maastricht treaty.