Letter from Mr Roger Gale MP (P 92 (Session
2005-06))
I have received a copy of the notice sent to
Members in relation to the inquiry into the future of Early Day
Motions. I have already submitted comments by e-mail but would
like to reiterate those comments individually to Members of the
Committee.
I believe that the Early Day Motion has become
the most devalued and overrated form of Parliamentary currency
and is now of small if any value at all.
Early Day Motions appear to be used chiefly
by lazy PR companies seeking to endeavour to persuade their clients
that "something is being done" and by backbench Members
of Parliament to secure a couple of column inches in the local
press on the basis of "MP backs motion on... " The latter
leads the public to believe that some Parliamentary action is
being taken when this patently is not the case.
The motion on remaining orders device does at
least allow for a Parliamentary approach to an issue to be taken
and it seems to me that the Early Day Motion should be completely
replaced by multiple signature applications to the Speaker's Office
for Adjournment Debates on a specific public—which might
or might not be successful but would at least be targeted directly
at Parliamentary activity.
In short I would hope that the Procedure Committee
will be bold enough to consider the total abolition of the Early
Day Motion procedure.
February 2006
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