Select Committee on Procedure Second Report


PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE RELATING TO THE REPORT

TUESDAY 13TH FEBRUARY 2001

Members present:

Mr Nicholas Winterton, in the Chair


Mr A J BeithMr Eric Forth
Sir Paul Beresford Mr Nigel Griffiths
Mr Keith DarvillMr Eric Illsley
Mr Clive EffordMr David Lammy
Mrs Lorna Fitzsimons Mr Andrew Stunell


  The Committee deliberated.

  Draft Report [Election of a Speaker], proposed by the Chairman, brought up and read.

  Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.

  Paragraphs 1 to 68 read and agreed to.

  Paragraph 69 read, as follows:

  As we have stated above, we do not believe that the likely duration of the process should be an all-important factor in determining the choice of electoral system. We consider that the benefits brought by the Exhaustive Ballot are sufficiently great as to outweigh the inconvenience in terms of time brought by the need to have multiple ballots. We therefore prefer the Exhaustive Ballot to AV and recommend that it be the system adopted. In order to reduce the overall time taken, however, we also recommend that, as in Canada, candidates polling less than 5% of the total votes cast should be eliminated after the first ballot.

  Amendment proposed, in line 2, to leave out from the word 'system' to the end of the paragraph, and to insert the words—

  "We consider that any benefits of the Exhaustive Ballot are outweighed by the inconvenience in terms of time required by the need to have multiple ballots. We therefore prefer the Alternative Vote system to the Exhaustive Ballot, and recommend that it be the system adopted.".—(Mr Andrew Stunell.)

Question put, That the Amendment be made.

The Committee divided.


Ayes, 3Noes, 7
Mr A J BeithSir Paul Beresford
Mrs Lorna Fitzsimons Mr Keith Darvill
Mr Andrew StunellMr Clive Efford
Mr Eric Forth
Mr Nigel Griffiths
Mr Eric Illsley
Mr David Lammy

  Paragraph agreed to.

  Paragraphs 70 to 87 agreed to.

  Annexes agreed to.

  Resolved, That the Report be the Second Report of the Committee to the House.

  Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Report to the House.

  Several papers were ordered to be appended to the Minutes of Evidence.

  Ordered, That the Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee be reported to the House.



 
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Prepared 15 February 2001