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MP seeks answer to West Lothian question

7:00pm Sunday 4th March 2007

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NORTH Dorset MP Bob Walter will present a Bill to Parliament this week in a new bid to stop MPs from Scotland and Northern Ireland voting on issues that only affect England and Wales.

Mr Walter's Private Members Bill would provide an answer to the "West Lothian Question".

Scotland is essentially internally self-governing but they still send 59 Members of Parliament to London

MP Bob Walter

It would allow the Speaker of the House of Commons to decide when a particular issue only affects England and Wales, allowing it to be debated and voted on only by those MPs.

Mr Walter said: "Scotland is essentially internally self-governing but they still send 59 Members of Parliament to London.

"They can vote on laws which only affect England and Wales.

"I think that is very unfair particularly when we as English MPs have no say on healthcare or schools or roads in Scotland but they can have that say on what happens in England."

Mr Walter said that in practice it could mean dealing with England-only legislation on set days.

Tam Dalyell, Labour MP for West Lothian, raised the issue in 1977, 1978 and 1998.

The text of Mr Walter's submitted Private Members Bill is based on a bill introduced in the House of Lords in the last session by Lord Baker.

However, Mr Walter's Bill will rectify a number of problems raised with Lord Baker's Bill, which would have enabled Northern Ireland legislation at Westminster to be determined solely by the Northern Ireland MPs, contravening the spirit of the accord struck between the various parties.

The new Bill will regard England and Wales as one, until the Welsh Assembly might acquire primary legislative powers.

Mr Walter added: "My Bill will meet the call for English votes on English laws'.

"I do not believe we need to create a separate English Parliament.

"We already have 428 MPs elected from English constituencies. It is perfectly possible for them alone to consider English legislation."

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Your Say YourThisisdorset

Patrick Harris, Portsmouth, Hants. says...
12:29pm Mon 5 Mar 07

It's a start Mr Walter but does not go far enough, the existing English elected MPs have sold England down the river so why should we trust you on this one, Labour Mr. Frank Field has tabled an Early Day Motion calling for an English Parliament (607 I believe), you would do better to sign up, it is the only equitable solution to the existing Devolution mess. Why should English patients have to resort to the judicial system or beg the Prime minister through petions to gain access to life saving drugs that are freely available in Scotland and Wales?. Why should elderly English folk have to sell their homes to pay for social care when in Scotland MSPs have voted to provide cradle to grave care. I'm sure you are well aware of the situation, brought about by the Barnett formula, which allows Scotland to spend, on average, £2000 per head more on public services than in England. Meddling with the status quo is no answer.

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Derek, Southampton says...
12:55pm Mon 5 Mar 07

English votes on English matters? It is not as simple as that. For example, who will promulgate English legislation? Will a Scottish constituency MP be able to do that? Will a Scottish constituency MP be able to be PM. A PM who cannot be involved in health, education, transport etc. because these are all'devolved/English only' matters? Doesn't make sense.
Who will lead?
We need an English Parliament English Executive and English First Minister to deal with England.
When is Ken Clark's report on this due?

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Neil Cunniffe, Rugby says...
2:27pm Mon 5 Mar 07

The half baked edvolution settlement is now unravelling and the poorly thought through situation will only get worse as and when Mr Brown becomes PM. Not because he is Scottish (Blair is Scottish) but because he represents a Scottish seat.

How in any sense can it right for the PM to introduce and pass legislation where it has absolutely no impact whatsoever on his own constituents.

And, if the polls are to be believed, where there is a good chance that his party will have fewer seats than the Tories in England (more people voted Tory in England than Labour at the last GE).

This is sheer madness. Only 2 workable solutions: Go back to a single legislature for the entire UK (wont happen) or have complate autonomy for the 4 home nations. Anything else is a fudge and compromise and full of flaws.

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Duncs, England says...
4:37pm Mon 5 Mar 07

Following devolution for Scotland, Wales, the Commonwealth and Empire the only country still occupied by a British government is England.

England is suffering 'taxation without representation' by a British government - the last time this happened the country concerned fought a revolution for Independence - America.

England suffers less public spending per head compared to Scotland and Wales because, unlike Scotland or Wales, it has no Parliament to speak up for or fight for Englands interests.

A voice for England is needed - nothing less than an English Parliament will do !


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John Hutchings, Bournemouth , Dorset , England . says...
4:54pm Mon 5 Mar 07

Mr Walter's heart is in the right place and he sticks up for England , unlike most of the other 529 MP's for English constituencies in the British parliament who are totally silent and useless at defending England from the incredibly biased and anti-English British government .
I do not quite agree that what we need is English days in the present House of Commons . England would still be left without her own government and executive . What we do need is what Scotland has got but England has been denied .
ie there should be an English Parliament , complete with our own government , budget and internal self rule .
The British governemnt can confine itself to pan British topics only .

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Della Petch, says...
11:21am Tue 6 Mar 07

All very good, but there is a growing awareness of the problems surrounding English votes on English legislation, Are the Tories actually aware this would create a whole new department to decide what exactly IS English only, as nothing has been devolved to England. Another layer of government will therefore be created to avoid creating our own national layer. How much time will be wasted arguing over what is and what isn't English only, especially if the government of the day decide to "slip in" a bit that makes it relevant to the neighbours, just to annoy the tories?

Plainly, it is a ludicrous suggestion that they Tories are putting on the table. What exactly is wrong with England being treated equally to Scotland? Democracy is not negotiable and the Tory solution is not acceptable.

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