Conclusions and recommendations
Select committee amendments
1. We recommend that
select committees be permitted to table amendments to bills on
the Floor and to motions in the House in the name of the Chair
on behalf of his or her select committee. Amendments tabled in
this way should be agreed formally without division at a quorate
meeting of the committee or by a quorum of Commons members at
a joint committee meeting, with notice having been given to all
members of that committee that the use of this procedure was to
be proposed. Whilst recognising and supporting the established
conventions governing the selection of amendments for debate and
decision, we hope that the Speaker or the Chairman of Ways and
Means might look favourably on a select committee seeking a separate
decision on its amendments where business is programmed. (Paragraph
21)
Explanatory statements on amendments to bills
2. We recommend that
during this Parliament Members be permitted to table explanatory
statements to amendments to all bills in public bill committee
(except the Finance Bill), in Committee of the whole House or
on Report, and that such statements be printed on the amendment
paper. We strongly encourage Opposition frontbenchers and all
backbenchers to table such statements with their amendments and
we recommend that staff of the House take active measures to publicise
the facility whenever a Member tables an amendment. We accept
that the Government may have other means to communicate this type
of information but we expect the Government also to use this facility
to communicate the intention behind amendments because it is accessible
to all Members and to the public. Where a bill is taken in a Committee
of the whole House, we consider that explanatory statements will
certainly be the best option. We further recommend that the Government
provide explanatory statements on all amendments proposed on Report,
outlining the reasons for bringing forward those amendments at
that stage. (Paragraph 31)
3. We recommend that
the House adopt the following guidelines for the tabling of explanatory
statements in this Parliament:
1. Any Member tabling an amendment to a bill in a
Public Bill Committee, in Committee of the whole House or on Report,
including private Member's bills, may at the time of tabling accompany
that amendment with an explanatory statement of around 50 words.
2. The explanatory statement must describe the intended
effect of the amendment but may not be phrased as an argument
for its adoption or against the existing text of, or any other
proposed amendment to, the bill.
3. An explanatory statement is not required where
the amendment is self-explanatory, except that an explanatory
statement should be provided for all Government amendments on
Report stage giving the reasons for tabling in each case.
4. Questions as to the implementation of these rules
shall be decided by the Chair of the Public Bill Committee, the
Chairman of Ways and Means in the case of bills in Committee of
the whole House or the Speaker in the case of bills on Report.
5. Explanatory statements will be printed in italics
immediately following the amendment to which they relate. Where
several amendments are tabled which are introductory to, consequential
upon or closely linked to another amendment, the explanatory statement
should state that fact and shall only be printed with the first
amendment in the sequence. (Paragraph 32)
Written parliamentary questions
4. We propose no alterations
to the ability of a Member to table WPQs in the Table Office in
person or by post. We recommend, however, that for an experimental
period of three months the deadline for submitting written parliamentary
questions electronically be set at 6.30 pm every sitting day from
Monday to Thursday and 2.30 pm on sitting Fridays and that a daily
quota of five e-tabled written questions (named day or ordinary
written) be imposed on Members. At the end of the trial period,
we undertake to assess the impact of the changes on Members and
others involved or interested in the parliamentary questions process
and to recommend either its continuation or abandonment. (Paragraph
50)
5. We recommend that
the quota restriction be lifted on the first sitting day following
a recess of a week or more. (Paragraph 51)
6. We recommend that
the Leader of the House ensure that the sessional statistics on
WPQs for the current session are provided to this Committee within
three months of the end of the Queen's Speech at the start of
the subsequent session. (Paragraph 55)
7. We recommend that
the Government instruct all departments that the answers to written
parliamentary questions be sent by email to the Member concerned
at the same time as the answer is delivered to the House. (Paragraph
56)
| 
