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Parliament Is Proving More Assertive in Blair's Second Term

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Parliament Is Proving More Assertive in Blair's Second Term M O N I T O R Issue 18 The Constitution Unit Bulletin March 2002 Parliament Awakening? Parliament is proving more asser- ing forward plans for major be widened beyond the Govern- tive in Blair’s second term. changes in working practices. So There was the early rebellion last are the Conservatives, in separate Contents summer over the Whips’ attempt proposals for reform of the Com- Devolution 2 to de-select Gwyneth Dunwoody mons and the Lords, published in Wales 2 and Donald Anderson as Select January. The biggest challenge lies Nothern Ireland 2 Scotland 3 Committee chairs. And the New in the long awaited proposals to English Regions 3 Year has seen comprehensive strengthen Select Committees, The Centre 4 rejection of the Government’s published by the Modernisation Parliamentary Reform 4 proposals for reform of the Lords, Committee on 12 February. These Elections and Parties 6 which would create a weak sec- include a statement of 11 core Local Government 8 ond chamber, still dominated by tasks for Select Committees, and a Europe 8 party patronage (see page 5). This recommendation that each Com- Human Rights 9 was the general view not just in mittee produce an annual report Freedom of Information 9 the Lords, but also in the Com- showing how it has met each core People on the Move 9 mons. The Commons no longer task. Constitution Unit News 10 seem to feel threatened by a These proposals present a real stronger and more assertive upper challenge for Parliament. The first Project Reports 10 house. Rather it is the Government Confidence in Government 10 test will be before the Liaison Lords White Paper Commentary 10 which seems to find the prospect Committee of Select Committee Women’s Political Participation 11 unnerving. chairmen, who may bridle at the Coalition Govt in Britain 11 W’hall and the HR Act 1998 11 As the Public Administration long list of tasks, and the proposal Select Committee put it in their to increase the size of their com- Bulletin Board 12 report, ‘Reform is not a zero-sum mittees. The next test will be with game in which advances for one their members, who may shy ment’s business managers. A Joint chamber are inevitably threats to away from the sheer hard work Committee of both Houses to the other…the real task is rather to involved in more thoroughgoing consider revised proposals on increase the effectiveness of both scrutiny. The final test is one for Lords reform would be a start; but chambers in holding the Govern- Parliament as a whole, in realising its work should not stop there. ment to account…. The focus the aspirations expressed by many should be on the capacities of in both Houses that they should [Parliament] as a whole’. come together to work more Both Houses now have reforming effectively. At present they Leaders, in Robin Cook and Ga- communicate only through the reth Williams. Each is busy bring- usual channels. The dialogue needs to be widened beyond the New Administrator Wanted The Unit is looking for a committed and experienced SCHOOL of PUBLIC POLICY administrator. The successful applicant will have 29–30 Tavistock Square particular responsibility for the Unit’s finances, research London WC1H 9QU grants and consultancies. email: [email protected] Please see the flyer enclosed. tel: 020 7679 4977 fax: 020 7679 4978 ISSN 1465–4377 Devolution least the potential abolition of the University of Wales as a federal institution. Taken together all these changes mark a significant development of Wales education policy in Wales. A Cabinet mini reshuffle took place at the end of February in an attempt to assuage criticism from The final report of the Assembly’s Review of its back-bench Labour AMs while simultaneously procedures, carried out over the past year, was keeping the Coalition on track. Andrew Davies was agreed in February. Paving the way for the forth- moved from his position as Business Manager to coming appointment of an independent Commis- take over the Economic Development portfolio sion on the Assembly’s powers, the Review rec- while Carwyn Jones continued as Minister for ommends: Rural Affairs but combined this with Business • Separation of the legislature from the executive Manager. and a rejection of the Government of Wales Act’s establishment of the Assembly as a corpo- Since July 2001 First Minister Rhodri Morgan had rate body. overseen Economic Development while a police investigation into his Coalition partner Mike Ger- • Protection of the scrutiny powers of backbench man remained unresolved. It had been expected members to hold the Executive to account. that the investigation into allegations concerning • Measures to enable the Assembly to influence the Liberal Democrat leader’s former role as Head Westminster primary legislation more effec- of the European Unit at the Welsh Joint Education tively. Committee would have been completed by • A strengthening of the policy development role Christmas. However, its continuation well into the of the Subject Committees, with ten new expert New Year forced the First Minister to make some advisers to help the Subject Committees. One changes to ward off criticism that economic devel- will be allocated to each Subject Committee. This opment was failing to receive a Minister’s undi- will leave a pool of three, one of which will be a vided attention. In his announcement Rhodri Mor- lawyer to monitor Westminster and European gan left the door open for Mike German to rejoin Union legislation. the Cabinet if cleared by the police. However, the Economic Development portfolio will now be Northern Ireland unavailable to him, leaving the prospect of another, more significant reshuffle if he returns later in the It was another quarter of complex and contradic- year. tory signals from Northern Ireland. The Assembly Government’s introduction of a On the one hand, there was an air of stability at ‘Learning Grant’ for students in February con- Stormont, with the administration looking for the firmed the emergence of a distinctive education first time secure as far ahead as the May 2003 as- system in Wales. It followed elimination of league sembly elections—an aeon in the politics of the tables for school examination results, the commis- region. The new partnership of Mark Durkan sioning of a pilot study for a new Welsh baccalau- (SDLP) alongside David Trimble (Ulster Unionist) reate qualification, and the publication last Septem- as, respectively, deputy first and first minister ber of a ‘Welsh White Paper’ The Learning Country bedded down well. The revised Programme for which separated Welsh from English education Government and budget were agreed by the as- policy in a number of key respects. The new ‘Learn- sembly. ing Grant’, worth up to £1,500 per person a year, The parties, including the Democratic Unionist will provide financial support for students in Party but minus Sinn Féin, came to remarkable Higher Education and, for the first time, students in agreement in the new Policing Board, on a police Further Education. It is estimated that it will aver- emblem and on the traumatic post-mortem on the age around £700 to £800 and will be paid to some Omagh investigation. And the SF leadership, which 43,000 students at a cost of £41 million during 2002– was under increasing US pressure, came closer than 03. In addition, in January the Education Commit- ever to endorsing the ‘consent principle’. tee published a comprehensive report on the future of Higher Education in Wales. If implemented this On a wider canvas, with the lifting of the ban on SF will result in radical and controversial change, not ministers attending north-south meetings, solid Monitor: Issue 18—March 2002 2 ISSN 1465–4377 technocratic progress was made on that front. Even five priority areas—health, education, transport, the apparently moribund British-Irish Council crime and jobs. This suggests a substantial load. showed distinct signs of life. Debate in the Parliament and media coverage suggests that health will be central stage come the Yet the quarter was also marked by growing un- elections to the Scottish Parliament. McConnell’s ease over deteriorating intercommunal relations on confrontations with John Swinney, SNP leader, the streets. Research highlighting intense segrega- have focussed particularly on health in the last tion and sectarianism at interfaces was given wide- quarter. spread coverage. Ugly clashes continued in north Belfast, though the protest at the Holy Cross Catho- A significant development in Executive-Parliament lic school was ended. The end-of-year statistics relations occurred when the Parliament, including a showed 2001 had been the most violent since the number of Labour MSPs, refused to back McCon- paramilitary ceasefires of 1994. A particularly nell’s preferred candidate, a Labour MSP, for dep- poignant sectarian murder prompted huge protest uty presiding officer and opted instead for a Tory rallies, organised by the trade unions. MSP who had already indicated his intention to stand down at the elections. Most of this nihilism stemmed from so-called Protestant ‘alienation’, and the Northern Ireland English Regions secretary warned that the region should not be- come a ‘cold place’ for unionists. But there was The English regional question remained dominated evidence, too, of a reciprocal hardening of Catholic by the implications of the Government’s forthcom- attitudes, with growing support for a united Ire- ing White Paper and the debates and conflicts land. Drama-documentaries on ‘Bloody Sunday’, 30 surrounding it. A number of issues are worth years on, plumbed the deep historical reservoirs of reporting: minority grievance. • Downing Street appeared to have agreed to the Moreover, a different unease began to be apparent case for referendums for regional assemblies, at Stormont, a sense that if hitherto the danger had but at the price of linking this to a move toward been that the ship of devolution would be single tier local government.
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