Fixed-term Parliaments Bill

I, too, welcome you to the Chair, Miss Begg. In the unavoidable absence of the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen), I should like to put before the House amendment 32, which has been tabled by members of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, of which the hon. Gentleman is chairman. I and other hon. Members here present are also members. Not all members of the Select Committee have put their names to this amendment, and I do not wish to press it to a Division. None the less, I want to put it before the House on behalf of the Select Committee because it was part of our process of pre-legislative scrutiny of this Bill. In the Select Committee's words, the House should consider whether"““a Parliament following an early general election should last for only as long as the remainder of the term of the previous Parliament, and whether such a provision would make a super-majority for a dissolution unnecessary?””" I am sorry to be speaking about this matter after the shadow Minister because he may have wished to say something about the Select Committee's deliberations. Three eminent academics gave evidence to the Select Committee. Professor Robert Blackburn of King's college, London, wrote that the amendment would help to"““ensure a governing majority does not abuse its ability to push through an early election resolution for no good reason other than being a favourable time to itself to go to the polls””." Professor Robert Hazell of the constitution unit at University College London, wrote that the proposal would provide"““a strong disincentive to a government inclined to call an early election””" as well as"““a disincentive to opposition parties tempted to force a mid term dissolution””." The proposal is also supported by Professor Hazell's colleague, Professor Dawn Oliver, for similar reasons. There are at least three further arguments in support of amendment 32. First, it would provide a genuine fixed term, making the cycle of ordinary general elections predictable long into the future, or at least until the law is changed. Secondly, it would be in keeping with the statutory arrangements for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Thirdly, it would prevent the cycle of parliamentary constituency boundary reviews —as proposed by the Government in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill—from decoupling from regular general elections. That decoupling would occur under the Government's proposals if an early general election were held. Will the Minister consider that in respect of the provisions of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill as well as in respect of the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill?