Letter to Chairman from Sir Alan Haselhurst
MP, Chairman of Ways and Means (P 47 Session 2008-09)
Thank you for your letter of 21 April. I will
certainly consult members of the Chairmen's Panel and let you
know their reaction in due course.
My own initial reaction to the proposal is favourable
although on reflection I think that any inherent advantage is
gained only if a select committee amendment is accorded priority.
The fact that an amendment is endorsed by a select committee does
not give it any advantage from the point of view of selection,
for selection can be done only on merit. If selected according
to the usual criteria, the amendment will fall to be considered
as and when the relevant part of the legislation is discussed,
making it no more certain to be reached than any other amendment.
Thus your suggestion impacts not so much on
selection but on programming. Should a select committee backed
amendment be guaranteed time for debate; or should it be guaranteed
a vote when the knife falls? This therefore has wider implications
for the allocation of time.
Please let me know if these are points which
your Committee has already anticipated.
22 April 2009
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