Email to hearfromyourmp.com

Written by David Howarth MP and published in hearfromyourmp.com on Mon 6th Mar 2006

Thank you to everyone who's signed up to this email service in Cambridge

This last week I've been very concerned with a fairly obscure piece of legislation going through Parliament. It's called the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill and it is attempting to change the very nature of Parliamentary scrutiny. The Bill would allow Government ministers to alter almost any legislation by means of an 'Order'. This process would mean that changes to laws could be pushed through without proper Parliamentary debate or scrutiny.

I'm not the only one who's concerned about this Bill. A group of Cambridge law professors have written to The Times expressing their concerns and calling it "the Abolition of Parliament Bill". I don't feel that that is an exaggeration of the risks.

Debate in Parliament is a cornerstone of our democracy and so it is vital that we defend it from encroaches such as the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill. I have been scrutinising the bill in Standing Committee this week and have suggested several amendments that could line by line 'plug' some of the holes in the bill. I hope that the Government will accept these changes and avoid passing what I believe could be a very dangerous law.

I've also been busy in the city, and am pleased to have been able to introduce surgeries on a Saturday. Meeting constituents and hearing your concerns is an immensely satisfying part of the job and is one which I always enjoy. Thanks again for signing up to this list and I'll be writing to keep you all updated on what I've been up to.