John Bercow

Previously I wrote to John Bercow to request a St George's Day debate. The Speaker replied telling me to direct my request to Harriet Harman, Leader of the House.

Dear Mrs Harman,

On St David's Day I contacted Speaker Bercow to ask whether there could be a St George's Day debate to discuss English issues, just as there is a St David's Day debate. He replied to say that this was not a matter for the Speaker, and I should direct my inquiry to you as Leader of the House.

Could we have a St George's Day debate please, for the discussion of English matters?

I reproduce my original letter to Mr Bercow below.

Dear Mr Bercow,

On St David's Day, today, there is a St David's Day debate in the House of Commons, and this despite the fact that there is a Welsh Assembly that acts as a forum for the nation of Wales.

Can we have a St George's Day debate please, for the discussion of England?

Topics for debate might include:

• Have the Government's English regional committees been a failure?
• What is the point of Regional Ministers?
• Should RDAs be abolished?
• Should English Votes on English Laws be called English Votes on English Laws if Scottish MPs are still permitted to vote on Second and Third Readings of English legislation?
• Does England lose out because of the Barnett Formula?
• Should England have its own national anthem?
• Does Government do enough to recognise England's nationhood?
• Should the people of England be consulted on how they wish to be governed, or should the Conservative Party - if they form the next government - just usher in a procedural change to the Commons' voting system to mitigate the West Lothian Question?
• Is the rise of the BNP in anyway related to the political vacuum that England finds itself in, and; does this House do enough to inculcate an inclusive English national identity when it's not obsessing about Britishness?
• Should the Houses of Parliament fly the Cross of St George from one of its three flagpoles, given that it doubles as an English parliament?

There's plenty to discuss, so let's have a St George's Day debate, please.

Here is Harriet's considered (ahem) reply.

Dear Mr Young,

Thank you for your email of 4 March to the Leader of the House of Commons about a debate on St. George's Day. I have been asked to reply.

MPs are elected by the public to represent all the constituencies in the United Kingdom. They do this by holding the Government to account, participating in debates and voting on legislation.

In July 2007, the Government published "Governance of Britain" Green Paper which set out proposals on how Government should be made more accountable and how the rights and responsibilities of the public could be enhanced. The Green Paper can be viewed at: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm71/7170/7170.pdf.

The Green Paper recommended the creation of Regional Ministers and Regional Select Committees. Regional Ministers were created so that regional interests can be represented in Government, to ensure that the Government was made accountable to the regions with regard to central government policy and to make sure central government policy takes account of the needs of the regions. The full list of their responsibilities can be found in the Green Paper.

The establishment of Regional Select Committees was agreed by the House of Commons in November 2008 in order to enhance parliamentary scrutiny of Government in the regions. The Committees are meeting and many of them have chosen to examine the role, either in full or as part of another inquiry, of the Regional Development Agencies. The reports and Government responses can be found on the Parliament website at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/cm_select.cfm#S.

The RDAs' in-depth knowledge of regional economies means they are uniquely placed to help deliver the Government's strategy for economic recovery, job creation and future growth. Over the past 12 years they have played a key role in supporting businesses and communities. On 23 February, Lord Mandelson announced a £64.4 million package of RDA support for economic development across the country. When announcing this package Lord Mandelson said:

"The RDAs are by far the best way for the Government to secure future economic growth. Their Action Plan highlights how they are uniquely placed to help deliver our strategies for economic recovery, job creation and business success throughout the country.

"For every £1 the RDAs spend, around £4.50 is put back into their region’s economy. Over the past decade, this spending has created more than 850,000 jobs, helped start up nearly 60,000 businesses and ensured that people across the country are able to benefit from new economic opportunities in their region."

I hope that this information has been helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Wilson
Private Secretary
Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
26 Whitehall
London SW1A 2WH

No, not really.

UPDATE

Dear Mr Young,

I apologise, I meant to add that we keep all requests for debates under review. As I am sure you are aware there is little time left in this parliamentary session. However, the Leader of the House does keep all requests for debates under review.

Yours sincerely,

Kate

I suspect that there's bugger all chance of Bercow being presented with some red roses by an English youngster on 23rd April, but an email can't do any harm.

Dear Mr Bercow,

On St David's Day, today, there is a St David's Day debate in the House of Commons, and this despite the fact that there is a Welsh Assembly that acts as a forum for the nation of Wales.

Can we have a St George's Day debate please, for the discussion of England?

Topics for debate might include:

• Have the Government's English regional committees been a failure?
• What is the point of Regional Ministers?
• Should RDAs be abolished?
• Should English Votes on English Laws be called English Votes on English Laws if Scottish MPs are still permitted to vote on Second and Third Readings of English legislation?
• Does England lose out because of the Barnett Formula?
• Should England have its own national anthem?
• Does Government do enough to recognise England's nationhood?
• Should the people of England be consulted on how they wish to be governed, or should the Conservative Party - if they form the next government - just usher in a procedural change to the Commons' voting system to mitigate the West Lothian Question?
• Is the rise of the BNP in anyway related to the political vacuum that England finds itself in, and; does this House do enough to inculcate an inclusive English national identity when it's not obsessing about Britishness?
• Should the Houses of Parliament fly the Cross of St George from one of its three flagpoles, given that it doubles as an English parliament?

There's plenty to discuss, so let's have a St George's Day debate, please.

Happy St David's Day to Toque's Welsh readers.

John Bercow has indicated that he would be prepared to preside over a debate on an English Parliament.

Mr Bercow also indicated he would be prepared to preside over a debate on the establishment of an English Parliament, but added it was not the Speaker's role to call for such a discussion.

Two days previous to his Hansard Society Speech, Bercow had been giving a talk to school children in Scotland:

One lad impressed Mr Bercow by asking whether he believed there should be an English parliament.

Describing it as a very clever question Mr Bercow said it was very difficult for him to answer given his need to remain impartial as the Speaker.

"It's a matter of great controversy between members of different parties," he explained: "On the whole Conservative members are much keener on the idea of a separate English parliament. Labour members of parliament tend to take a different view and if I'm to retain my reputation as being a fair umpire, impartial between the parties, it's one of those questions it is better for me not to answer. But it is a very skilled question and you nearly skewered me."

That prompted a devolution debate with Lord Foulkes declaring a controversial non-party line that the House of Lords should be scrapped and the chamber used to create an English parliament, while Mr MacAskill took the opportunity to beat the drum for independence.

In thundering tones Lord Foulkes said: "There is a democratic deficit for England in that Scotland has its own parliament, Northern Ireland, and Wales and English people do not have control over their own affairs.

"I am in favour of a separate English elected parliament that's not Labour policy at the moment but it is my policy. Then we are moving towards a federal system."

I think it's fairly inevitable that John Bercow will preside over a debate on an English Parliament because the Tories will presumably want to debate English Votes on English Laws. It will be useful to have a Speaker who lets that debate take its natural course.