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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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Iraq inquiry shows need to strengthen Parliament - Beith
July 9, 2009 9:30 AM
A new Bill for the Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry has been put forward in the House of Commons with the backing of local Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith and senior Members of Parliament from all sides of the House.
Alan Beith said
"It should not be up to the Government to decide whether serious issues and potential scandal are the subject of inquiry. Members of Parliament need the ability to create inquiries and in earlier times this was one of the main ways in which Parliament was able to challenge the executive."
Presenting the Bill to Parliament, David Heath MP spoke of the frustrations and difficulties which had delayed the inquiry into the war in Iraq and said
"When we need an inquiry because of a matter of great public concern, it should be this House that takes the decision, not a member of the Executive and not a Minister… There are 1,001 reasons why Ministers may not wish there to be a public inquiry into aspects of their conduct or the conduct of others in their control. There are so many reasons for them to delay, obfuscate or misdirect, rather than to have the searching after truth that a properly constituted public inquiry can provide."
The Bill makes provision for "establishing a commission of inquiry subsequent to a resolution of Parliament into matters relating to the conduct of a Minister of the Crown; to make further provision for establishing a commission of inquiry into particular events which have or may have occurred and which have caused, or are capable of causing, public concern; to set out the procedures for setting up such a commission of inquiry, its powers, rights and privileges; to amend the Inquiries Act 2005; and for connected purposes."
Under the terms of the Bill, inquiries would be equipped to work effectively, enabling Parliament to confer the powers that would be needed to take evidence under oath, to compel witnesses, to ensure that it has the papers before it, to ensure that its composition is appropriate to the task, and to ensure that wherever possible it takes its evidence in public so that the general public have the confidence that their interests are being properly represented.
The Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry Bill was tabled on 7 July by Liberal Democrat David Heath MP and has the backing of fellow Liberal Democrats Sir Alan Beith, Sir Menzies Campbell and Paul Rowen, along with Conservatives Michael Howard, Iain Duncan Smith, Richard Shepherd and Sir Nicholas Winterton together with Labour MPs Andrew Mackinlay, Tony Wright, Graham Allen and the SNP's Angus Robertson. The Second Reading is scheduled for 16 October 2009.
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