The survey results
40. Opinion in the House of Commons seems to be largely
in line with public feeling. Two recent surveys reveal the state
of opinion in the Commons. In January 2002, as part of its inquiry,
this Committee sought the views of all Members of the House of
Commons on the question of the future composition of the second
chamber. On 17 January, the Chairman wrote to all his Commons
colleagues asking them to complete a brief confidential questionnaire
about the issue. The questionnaire asked specifically for the
personal views of the Member; the Committee did not wish
to know what he or she thought could be achieved in the real world
by compromise or negotiation.
41. We received 286 replies, 165 from Labour MPs
, 78 from Conservative MPs, 31 from Liberal Democrat MPs and 12
from others or those who did not state a party affiliation. We
are grateful to all those who replied. While we do not claim that
this is in any way a comprehensive or scientific sample of opinion,
we are satisfied that these figures give a useful general indication
of the strength of support for each option. The results are summarised
below.
House of Lords Reform Inquiry: Questionnaire to all
MPs: Results January 2002
Party |
Wholly elected
|
Wholly appointed |
Mainly elected
|
Mainly appointed |
Equal mixture
|
None of the above |
Total
|
Con |
11 |
5
|
50 |
|
4
|
8 |
78 |
Labour |
51 |
14
|
41 |
19 |
20
|
20 |
165 |
Lib Dem |
17 |
1 |
12 |
|
|
1 |
31
|
None given |
2 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
3
|
Other |
5 |
1
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
9 |
Total |
86
|
21 |
104 |
20
|
25 |
30 |
286
|
42. We conclude from these figures that:
- The Government's proposals for a majority appointed
second chamber are likely to be extremely unpopular with MPs of
all parties; given the opportunity to show their support for majority
appointment in a confidential questionnaire, only 19 out of 409
Labour MPs and not one out of 164 Conservatives did so. Wherever
else it lies, the centre of gravity clearly does not lie with
the White Paper;
- Roughly equal numbers supported a wholly appointed
second chamber (21) as supported a majority appointed chamber
(20);
- Among both Labour and Liberal Democrat members who responded,
a wholly elected chamber was the favourite option;
- The most popular single category was majority election/minority
appointment, with 36 per cent of the total;
- There was a strong showing for the "wholly elected"
option, at 30 per cent;
- There was modest support for an equal division between
elected and appointed members, with 25 MPs in favour;
- A number of very helpful comments were added or appended to
the questionnaire. Several respondents supported abolition,
while others advocated indirect election and some opposed
any change.
43. It is also illuminating to aggregate the figures for three
categories to show the percentage of respondents who favoured
an elected proportion of 50 per cent or more. A grand total of
215, or 75 per cent of our respondents, including 67 per cent
of Labour Members, say that they would support a chamber that
is at least half elected.
44. In the same month, Graham Allen MP canvassed 238 of his fellow
Labour Members, asking them for their views on what proportion
of members of the second chamber should be elected. The results
as reported showed that, on average, they would favour a 58 per
cent proportion of elected members.
Parliamentary Labour Party Members—Views on Proportion of
Second Chamber to be elected
per cent elected supported* |
No. respondents
|
per cent of total |
Cumulative per cent |
None |
26
|
11 |
11
|
0-20 |
0
|
0 |
11
|
20-30 |
12
|
5 |
16
|
30-40 |
15
|
6 |
22
|
40-50 |
3
|
1 |
23
|
50-60 |
80
|
33 |
56
|
60-70 |
3
|
1 |
57
|
70-80 |
10
|
4 |
61
|
80-90 |
14
|
6 |
67
|
90-100 |
73
|
30 |
96
|
Support Abolition |
9
|
4 |
100
|
Total |
245
|
100 |
100
|
* Where 0-20 indicates greater than 0 per cent but less than 20
per cent, etc.
Only 11 members of the PLP support the government's proposed figure
of 20 per cent (with a further one supporting 25 per cent). 81
per cent of backbenchers want to see a higher figure, with an
additional 4 per cent favouring abolition of the Upper House.
It is not until a 50 per cent elected house is reached that there
is majority support amongst Labour backbenchers.
45. These indications are strongly supported by the popularity
of the Early Day Motion (EDM 226) tabled in October by Fiona Mactaggart
MP, calling on the Government to support a "wholly or substantially
elected" second chamber. At the beginning of February 2002,
EDM 226 had attracted 303 signatures, more than any other current
EDM—a clear sign of the importance attached to this issue
by Members.
46. This range of evidence cannot in itself be fully conclusive.
No formal proposals have yet come before either House, and filling
in a survey or signing an EDM is not the same as going through
the division lobby in a whipped vote. The debate has much further
to run.
47. But it is already clear from this remarkably consistent evidence
that Lords reform matters to MPs. It is also clear that the Government
is very unlikely to achieve a consensus of opinion in the House
of Commons in favour of the White Paper proposals on composition.
Labour MPs appear from our survey to be almost as unenthusiastic
about the White Paper as opposition Members.
48. Having examined this evidence, we next consider whether there
is a practical approach to reform which could win the support
of a clear majority of Members, and whether this might also be
compatible with the expressed views of members of the House of
Lords.
| 
