Meeting of the Parliament 07 January 2016
It is clear that the bill will gain broad support today. It is also important that it has COSLA’s approval, as the minister suggested to the committee that it has. That buy-in is important because local authorities will have to deal with electoral administration and their election dates will have to be changed. Our deliberations have to take full account of their view, not to mention the further ramifications for electoral registration officers, returning officers and the general electoral administrative process.
In my opening speech, I touched on some of our long-term options and I am pleased that other members have clearly given thought to such an important question. The Government has indicated that it intends to put those choices for future parliamentary elections out to public consultation and I welcome that commitment. I hope that the consultation is truly wide ranging and that the evidence that is received is useful in informing the next Parliament’s approach.
We should avoid thinking of any particular choice as the default position. As I highlighted in my earlier speech, each has its advantages and disadvantages. Those points have already been made by others. For example, we had the choice of having a three-year session of Parliament following the coming election. That would probably be too short. As a stopgap, the bill will receive the chamber’s approval, but we must be clear that that does not tie any member or party to supporting a five-year model in perpetuity.
To many, this topic may seem dry. However, it is important that we consider the fundamentals of how the Parliament operates. This is a choice of constitutional importance. The Chartists famously fought for elections every year—one aspiration that I am sure that we are all somewhat pleased never became a reality. The Triennial Act 1694 limited the length of sessions of Parliament in England to three years, and the Septennial Act 1716 set a limit of seven years. The modern five-year limit was set in 1911, although it was breached by emergency legislation during the wars.
This Parliament will soon be faced with a choice of equal importance about the period between elections and how long sessions should last. The bill is the forerunner of that debate, but we should make sure that it does not usurp it. We must also lay the groundwork for giving that choice the serious consideration that it merits.
15:06