Curb Ministerial Power
Conservatives welcome plans to curb ministerial power
A report recommending that new curbs be introduced to restrain the power of Government ministers has been welcomed by Conservatives.And Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary Oliver Heald has supported the call by the Power Commission for the role of MPs to be enhanced, backed by reforms leading to a substantially elected House of Lords.Mr Heald was speaking after an investigation into the UK political system warned of "meltdown" unless major changes are introduced and people can once again feel they have some influence over the key decisions affecting their lives.
The Power Commission, chaired by Labour peeress and lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy, emphasised the remoteness people feel from the country's top decision- makers, and called for a shift of control from ministers to Parliament, and from central to local government, along with changes in the way political parties are funded, and a reduction in the age limit for voting from 18 to 16.Welcoming the publication of the Power Commission's report into Britain's Democracy, Mr Heald said: "Conservatives agree strongly with the Commission's view that too much executive power is today concentrated in the hands of ministers rather than in the House of Commons, and that this is one of the areas where there needs to be a 'rebalancing of power' within our constitution. We also welcome the Commission's view that we need a substantially elected second chamber."
He declared: "We share the Commission's concerns about the disengagement felt by many people from the formal political process and the disconnection between the public and politicians. And while naturally, there are some parts of the report with which we disagree - such as the proposal to lower the voting age to 16 - taken as a whole, the report is a timely contribution to the debate on the future of Britain's democracy." Mr Heald said the Democracy Task Force set up by Party Leader David Cameron under the chairmanship of former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke would carefully consider the detailed recommendations of the Power Commission.
A report recommending that new curbs be introduced to restrain the power of Government ministers has been welcomed by Conservatives.And Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary Oliver Heald has supported the call by the Power Commission for the role of MPs to be enhanced, backed by reforms leading to a substantially elected House of Lords.Mr Heald was speaking after an investigation into the UK political system warned of "meltdown" unless major changes are introduced and people can once again feel they have some influence over the key decisions affecting their lives.
The Power Commission, chaired by Labour peeress and lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy, emphasised the remoteness people feel from the country's top decision- makers, and called for a shift of control from ministers to Parliament, and from central to local government, along with changes in the way political parties are funded, and a reduction in the age limit for voting from 18 to 16.Welcoming the publication of the Power Commission's report into Britain's Democracy, Mr Heald said: "Conservatives agree strongly with the Commission's view that too much executive power is today concentrated in the hands of ministers rather than in the House of Commons, and that this is one of the areas where there needs to be a 'rebalancing of power' within our constitution. We also welcome the Commission's view that we need a substantially elected second chamber."
He declared: "We share the Commission's concerns about the disengagement felt by many people from the formal political process and the disconnection between the public and politicians. And while naturally, there are some parts of the report with which we disagree - such as the proposal to lower the voting age to 16 - taken as a whole, the report is a timely contribution to the debate on the future of Britain's democracy." Mr Heald said the Democracy Task Force set up by Party Leader David Cameron under the chairmanship of former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke would carefully consider the detailed recommendations of the Power Commission.
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