---

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill (Money) (No. 3)

I hear what my hon. Friend says, but the fact of the matter is that this is always cited as ““the Jenkins report”” and Lord Jenkins was the father of it as chairman of the commission. It is therefore right to point out, as I had started to do, that although he was a great and distinguished parliamentarian, he was hardly disinterested in the system that was proposed. As many other Members have said, there is no perfect electoral system: all have their flaws; all have their benefits. I really believe, however, that the first-past-the-post system, as improved by AV, is a good system. It is one that the Australians use and it has served that country well. It has reflected the majority viewpoint of the Australian electorate ever since it was introduced. I very much welcome the Government's proposal this evening, which will at least allow the people of this country to pass judgment on whether they think it is a good or a bad thing.