Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 15
Sixth Report - The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
Published 15 Sep 2020
Paragraph 83
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Changing the current arrangements to allow the Government to designate a vote a matter of confidence that if lost would trigger a general election—an established practice under the old arrangements—could be a retrograde step. If it were included in any future arrangements, it would clearly empower the Executive (via the Government Whips) and weaken the House of Commons, in particular Government backbenchers. This would be a matter of political judgment and the Committee does not advocate one way or the other at this point. The Committee recommends that proposals to include the ability for the Government to designate 34 The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 a vote of confidence are included in the review committee’s terms of reference, and if this is to be taken forward, it is given proper consideration by the House.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Sixth Report - The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (HC 167), paragraph 83, 15 September 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 9 December 2020 (deadline 15 November 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it is repealing the Fixed-term Parliaments Act through a draft Bill that revives the prerogative powers over dissolution, and it disagrees with several of the Committee's conclusions, including on the Commons setting election dates.
- On the prerogative, it recognises "a debate" about whether it can be revived without legislation, and the draft Bill makes express provision to revive it. The government agrees that its exercise should not be "abrogated to the Courts", and the draft Bill contains an ouster clause.
- It states that it "does not accept" that the power to set the precise date of the election should be given to the House of Commons or be subject to parliamentary approval.
- It "does not agree" that a residual dissolution power gives the incumbent government an electoral advantage, and it "does not share" the Committee's assessment that the Act is compatible with the confidence principle.
- On review and scrutiny, a Joint Committee has been set up, and the government says it "shall of course carefully consider" its conclusions on confidence votes. On prorogation, it says the issue is "separate" from the Act and the draft Bill is narrowly focused on dissolution.