The Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons, also known as the McKay Commission, was an independent commission established in the United Kingdom to consider issues arising from
devolution in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, devolution is the Parliament of the United Kingdom's statutory granting of a greater level of self-government to the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), the Northern Ireland Assembly and the London Asse ...
and their effect on the workings of the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
. In the statement made by the government when setting up the commission, it referred to the
West Lothian question
The West Lothian question, also known as the English question, is a political issue in the United Kingdom. It concerns the question of whether MPs from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who sit in the House of Commons should be able to vote ...
, a term coined in 1977 to refer to anomalies existing in the pre-devolution government of the UK.
The commission, chaired by
Sir William McKay
Sir William Robert McKay, KCB, (born 18 April 1939), is a British administrator. He was Clerk of the House of Commons between 1998 and 2002, and was appointed in 2012 to chair the Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of C ...
, considered changes to the procedures of the House of Commons in relation to legislation that only affects part of the UK. It started its work in February 2012 and reported in March 2013. It recommended that future legislation affecting England but not other
parts of the UK should require the support of a majority of MPs sitting for English constituencies.
[ BBC News, ''England-only laws 'need majority from English MPs' '', 25 March 2013]
Retrieved 25 March 2013
Background
The term "West Lothian question" refers to issues concerning the former ability of members of parliament from
constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
in Northern Ireland,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
to vote on matters that affect only people living in England and therefore have no direct consequence on their constituents, whilst being unable to influence matters that affect their own constituencies. Anomalies of this kind are considered to have been made more apparent by the
devolution of power from
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
to the
National Assembly for Wales
The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...
, the
Northern Ireland Assembly
sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie
, legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly
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, hou ...
and the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
.
The
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
manifesto for the 2010 general election included a commitment to introduce the idea of "
English votes on English laws
English votes for English laws (EVEL) was a set of procedures of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom whereby legislation that affected only England required the support of a majority of MPs representing English constitu ...
" and the party had previously explored this issue through a taskforce led by
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham, (born 2 July 1940), often known as Ken Clarke, is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997 as well as serving as de ...
. Scottish Conservative
Sir Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind (born 21 June 1946) is a British politician who served in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997, and most recently as chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament from ...
has also written about the issue, proposing an English grand committee as a possible solution. The
Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology.
Active parties
Former parties
See also
*Liberal democracy
*Lib ...
manifesto included a commitment to address the status of England as part of wider UK constitutional reforms. The 2010
coalition agreement
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
between the parties included a commitment to establish a commission to examine the West Lothian question.
Plans for a commission were announced in September 2011 and its membership was disclosed in January 2012.
Membership
The commission was set up with six members, described "independent, non-partisan" experts. The members were:
*Sir
William McKay
Lt.-Colonel William McKay (1772 – 18 August 1832) is remembered for leading the Canadian Forces to victory at the Siege of Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812. After the war, he was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs at Drummo ...
, former Clerk of the House of Commons
*Sir
Geoffrey Bowman
Sir Edwin Geoffrey Bowman, KCB, KC (Hon) (born 27 January 1946), commonly known as Sir Geoffrey Bowman, is a British lawyer and retired parliamentary draftsman.
Early life and education
Born in 1946, Bowman attended Roundhay School before he ...
, former First Parliamentary Counsel (resigned 20 June 2012)
*Sir
Stephen Laws
Sir Stephen Charles Laws, is a British lawyer and civil servant who served as the First Parliamentary Counsel between 2006 and 2012.
Laws read law at Bristol, graduating in 1972. He was the first in his family to go to University. After a year ...
, retiring First Parliamentary Counsel
*Sir
Emyr Jones Parry
Sir Emyr Jones Parry (born 21 September 1947) is a British retired diplomat. He is a former Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations and former UK Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council.
Education ...
, former UK Ambassador to the United Nations
*Prof
Charlie Jeffery
Charlie Jeffery is the Vice Chancellor and President of University of York, UK.
Early life
Jeffery was educated at Loughborough University with a B.A. and a Ph.D. in European Studies.
Personal life
Jeffery resides in York with his wife and t ...
of the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
Academy of Government
*Prof
Yvonne Galligan
Yvonne Galligan OBE is an Irish political scientist and consultant who is currently teaching at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin.
Galligan is a Professor of Compa ...
of
Queen's University Belfast
, mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back?
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, parent = ...
Terms of reference
The terms of reference for the commission were:
Publication of report
The report of the commission was published on 25 March 2013.
[ Its main conclusions are:][ The McKay Commission’s Report on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons published – 25 March 2013]
Retrieved 25 March 2013
*"Evidence suggests that people in England feel unhappy with present arrangements, which take too little account of their grievances. A response is necessary.
*"Decisions taken in the Commons which have a separate and distinct effect for England (or England-and-Wales) should normally be taken only with the consent of a majority of MPs sitting for constituencies in England (or England-and-Wales).
*"That principle should be clearly set out in a resolution of the House of Commons, and House procedure should be changed to encourage MPs to follow this approach.
*"A range of procedural changes is suggested, all of which would allow the English voice to be heard. Some of them involve committees on bills, with majorities reflecting the party balance in England (or England-and-Wales). Others take the form of motions on the floor of the House. They are not a single package but a menu from which choices can be made to suit the circumstances of a particular bill.
*"A select committee on Devolution should be appointed, which would (among other things) assist the House to hold UK ministers to account for their responsibilities in connection with devolution and their relations with the devolved administrations.
*"Under the Commission's recommendations, no MPs would be prevented from voting on any bill, and the right of the House as a whole to make final decisions would be preserved. However, there would also be scope for additional roles for MPs from England (or England-and-Wales)."
Sir William McKay said:Our proposals retain the right of a UK-wide majority to make the final decisions where they believe UK interests or those of a part of the UK other than England should prevail. We expect that governments will prefer compromise to conflict.
See also
*Governance of England
There has not been a government of England since 1707 when the Kingdom of England ceased to exist as a sovereign state, as it merged with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.Devolved English parliament
A devolved English parliament is a proposed institution that would give separate decision-making powers to representatives for voters in England, similar to the representation given by the (Welsh Parliament), the Scottish Parliament and the Nort ...
References
External links
Commission Report
published 25 March 2013
The McKay Commission
official website
The West Lothian Question – House of Commons Library Standard Note
{{Devolution in the United Kingdom
Devolution in the United Kingdom
Constitution of the United Kingdom
Constitutional commissions
2012 establishments in the United Kingdom
2012 in British politics
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Politics of England
Politics of Northern Ireland
Politics of Scotland
Politics of Wales
English nationalism
Government of the United Kingdom
2013 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
2013 in British politics